Recent Developments in the Ferrier Rearrangement

Glycals (1,2-unsaturated, cyclic carbohydrate derivatives) readily undergo (catalyzed) substitution reactions at C-1 accompanied by allylic rearrangement. This reaction, currently named Ferrier rearrangement, or the Ferrier I reaction, has established itself as a useful synthetic tool for carbohydrate transformations. By means of this reaction, glycals can be converted into highly useful 2,3-unsaturated glycosides. This review summarizes recent developments in the use of promoters for the Ferrier rearrangement of O-, N-, C- and S-nucleophiles with glycals.