At last count, nearly 5000 halogenated natural products have been discovered. In approximately half of these compounds, the carbon atom to which the halogen is bound is sp3‐hybridized; therefore, there are an enormous number of natural products for which stereocontrolled halogenation must be a critical component of any synthesis strategy. In this Review, we critically discuss the methods and strategies used for stereoselective introduction of halogen atoms in the context of natural product synthesis. Using the successes of the past, we also attempt to identify gaps in our synthesis technology that would aid the synthesis of halogenated natural products, as well as existing methods that have not yet seen application in complex molecule synthesis. The chemistry described herein demonstrates yet again how natural products continue to provide the inspiration for critical advances in chemical synthesis.

A variety of achiral Lewis bases were found to catalyze the addition of TMSCN to the aldehydes. Among them, phosphines and amines were the most efficient catalysts. In addition, several chiral amines and phosphines were examined in a catalytic, asymmetric addition of TMSCN to benzaldehyde albeit with low enantioselectivity. A mechanistic study revealed that the reaction was first order in aldehyde, first order in Lewis base, and zeroth order in TMSCN, suggesting the complex formation of TMSCN and Lewis base formation of complex i. However, there are at least two possible scenarios for this catalytic process, and in view of the low selectivities observed, it is not clear which mechanism is operative.

The chlorosulfolipid mytilipin A has been synthesized in racemic form in only seven steps and in enantioenriched form in eight steps. Key transformations include a highly diastereoselective bromoallylation of a sensitive α,β-dichloroaldehyde, a kinetic resolution of a complex vinyl epoxide, a convergent and highly Z-selective alkene cross metathesis, and a chemoselective and diastereoselective dichlorination of a complex diene.

Tetrasubstituted carbon containing two different halogen substituents was constructed in a single-step operation by utilizing the carbene-like reactivity of dioxaphospholene through the tandem reaction of electrophilic and nucleophilic halogenating reagents. It was crucial to devise non-dealkylatable phosphoramidite, which enabled the efficient formation of geminal chlorofluorides from various 1,2-diketones with (PhSO2)2NF and n-Bu4NCl. In addition, selective functionalization of the chlorine substituent was demonstrated, and the absence of halogen scrambling was confirmed.

Ultrafast intramolecular proton transfers of 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone (alizarin-h2) and its deuterated product (alizarin-d2) in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) have been investigated by femtosecond stimulated Raman spectroscopy. The population dynamics in the solute vibrational mode of νC=O and the coherent oscillations observed in all of the skeletal vibrational modes νC=O and νC=C clearly showed the ultrafast excited-state intramolecular proton transfer dynamics of 110 and 170 fs for alizarin-h2 and alizarin-d2, respectively. Interestingly, we have observed that the solvent vibrational modes νS=O and νCSC may also represent ultrafast structural dynamics at the frequencies for its “free” or “aggregated” species. From the kinetic analysis of the νS=O and νCSC modes of DMSO, the ultrafast changes in the solvation or intermolecular interactions between DMSO molecules initiated by the structural changes of solute molecules have been thoroughly investigated. We propose that the solvent vibrational modes νS=O and νCSC of DMSO can be used as a “sensor” for ultrafast chemical reactions accompanying the structural changes and subsequent solute-solvent interactions.