Sequential and direct multicomponent reaction (MCR)-based dearomatization strategies.

Dearomatization strategies in a multicomponent fashion often result in complex heterocyclic frameworks, which have attracted the attention of chemists due to their natural product-like structures. The combination of these two processes can easily achieve extended molecular complexity and diversity from simple starting materials with high atom economy. Thus, this field has attracted extensive interest owing to its potential significance in both asymmetric catalysis and convenient build-up of libraries of molecules with novel three-dimensional scaffolds, which may find application in medicinal chemistry. Accordingly, a systematic review on this topic will provide the synthetic organic community with a conceptual overview and comprehensive understanding of the different multicomponent reaction (MCR) cascades involving dearomatization as the characteristic step. In addition, this review will help researchers to look at this promising area from a different perspective with respect to drug discovery, new MCR-based disconnections and often hidden opportunities.