The development of catalytic nucleophilic substitution reactions: challenges, progress and future directions

Bimolecular nucleophilic substitution reactions of alcohols are fundamentally important transformations in organic chemistry yet, to date, they are relatively underdeveloped with respect to catalysis. This Article describes the emerging area of catalytic S(N)2 reactions with specific emphasis on the design and development of phosphorus(V) and cyclopropenone-based catalytic S(N)2 reactions of alcohols.