The quest for observation and isolation of oxyallyl derivatives

This critical review narrates the story of 40 years of attempts to observe and isolate oxyallyl derivatives. These efforts have paved the way to recent achievements, among which are the establishment of the transition-state nature of the parent compound and the first observation of an alkyl-substituted oxyallyl. In recent years, this field of research has even reached the critical point, from which oxyallyl derivatives shouldn't be disregarded as chemical oddities anymore, but as attractive synthetic targets with potential applications in advanced materials science.