Oxidation reactions in the current total synthesis of natural products

Abstract

Oxidation and oxidative reactions are fundamental types of transformations in organic chemistry, which are indispensable in organic synthesis, especially in the total synthesis of natural products. Although there are many reviews on a specific oxidation reaction or oxidation reagent, a general review on the diverse oxidation reactions and oxidation reagents in natural product synthesis has not yet been reported. In this review, we selected some total syntheses published during 2020 to 2025 from selected journals and surveyed the oxidation reactions and oxidative transformations employed therein to reflect the current status of oxidation reactions. This article is organized by functional groups for oxidation and subcategorized by reagents/methods used in natural product synthesis. In addition to the categorized reactions, we selected twenty total syntheses (in Sections 2 and 7) and analysed and discussed all the oxidative transformations involved. The information provided will not only be helpful for chemists in the field of total synthesis of natural products and medicinal chemists to plan their syntheses but also prompt synthetic organic chemists in general to develop modern oxidation reactions/reagents to suit the increasing needs of sustainable organic synthesis.