Developments toward the synthesis and application of 3-hydroxyindanones.

3-Hydroxyindanone is an important scaffold in many natural products, biologically active compounds, and functional materials. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the construction of 3-hydroxyindanone derivatives and their applications towards pharmaceutically promising drug candidates. The total synthesis of the complex natural products containing this simple core is discussed. The highlights of the literature from 1948 to 2015 are comprised.