The application of cyclobutane derivatives in organic synthesis

This review summarizes the literature application of cyclobutane derivatives as versatile molecular building blocks in organic synthesis from 1985 to 2002. The future of organic synthesis lies in both the development of reliable, efficient, and highly selective methodologies and the discovery of new processes for building up complex chemical architecture. The use of cyclobutane transformations greatly extends the possibilities in synthetic organic chemistry, and has led to the discovery of a number of new and valuable types of (cascade) reactions. Most of these have already demonstrated their potential in the successful synthesis of bioactive, naturally occurring products.