New developments in polymer-supported reagents, scavengers and catalysts for organic synthesis.

The ever-increasing demand for efficient syntheses of novel organic compounds with therapeutic potential remains the major driving force for the pharmaceutical industry to adopt novel technologies for organic synthesis. The use of polymer-supported reagents and scavengers is a powerful technique for integrated organic synthesis and purification. Polymer-supported reagents and scavengers can be used to selectively remove excess reagents and byproducts through simple filtration, rather than liquid-liquid extraction and chromatographic separation. In addition, polymer-supported reagents offer advantages that include the reaction of active intermediates by 'catch and release', selectivity, and immobilization of toxic reagents and byproducts. This review summarizes significant new advances in polymer-assisted solution-phase synthesis, and advances in microwave-assisted organic synthesis utilizing polymer-supported reagents and catalysts are also discussed. In view of previous review publications on this topic, only the literature from 2003 to date is included.