Multistep phase-switch synthesis by using liquid-liquid partitioning of boronic acids: productive tags with an expanded repertoire of compatible reactions.

Tagging along: a system for phase-switch synthesis has been developed. The boronic acid functionality is used as a phase tag that complexes to sorbitol and facilitates compound transfer from an organic solvent to water at high pH. The phase tag can then be used in a productive reaction step to generate targeted products, thereby eliminating purification by silica gel chromatography.