Recent interest in oxetanes in medicinal chemistry and as synthetic intermediates has led to the development of a number of methods for the synthesis of more functionalized and highly substituted oxetane derivatives. Here we review cyclization approaches for the preparation of 2-substituted oxetanes. Methods involving C–O bond formation, as well as recently developed C–C bond forming cyclization strategies are highlighted.
Key words
Oxetanes - Heterocycles - Cyclization - Ethers - Insertion