Desymmetrization of Cyclopentene-1,3-Diones via Alkylation, Arylation, Amidation and Cycloaddition Reactions

Desymmetrization of prochiral cyclopentene-1,3-diones for the synthesis of various natural products and moieties of pharmaceutically active compounds, is a very challenging and competitive area of research in organic synthesis now a days. It is a very powerful strategy to provide quaternary stereocenter having different functionality, which is very difficult to install by other C-C bond-forming methods. This review describes an elaborative discussion of desymmetrization of cyclopentene-1,3-diones (racemic and asymmetric) via different alkylation, arylation, amidation and cycloaddition process for the last decades.