Boronic Acid Catalysis: an Atom-Economical Platform for Direct Activation and Functionalization of Carboxylic Acids and Alcohols

Boronic Acid Catalysis (BAC) offers an alternative strategy for activating hydroxyl-containing substrates such as carboxylic acids, alcohols, and other functional groups in a mild and selective manner. In the past five years alone, the list of reactions shown amenable to BAC has increased significantly. By avoiding the need for stoichiometric activation associated with the use of halide leaving groups and complex reagents, BAC provides better atom- and step-economy.