Non-Enzymatic Desymmetrization Reactions in Aqueous Media

Abstract

Symmetric organic compounds are generally obtained inexpensively, and therefore they can be attractive building blocks for the total synthesis of various pharmaceuticals and natural products. The drawback is that discriminating the identical functional groups in the symmetric compounds is difficult. Water is the most environmentally benign and inexpensive solvent. However, successful organic reactions in water are rather limited due to the hydrophobicity of organic compounds in general. Therefore, desymmetrization reactions in aqueous media are expected to offer versatile strategies for the synthesis of a variety of significant organic compounds. This review focuses on the recent progress of desymmetrization reactions of symmetric organic compounds in aqueous media without utilizing enzymes.