Meyer-Schuster Rearrangement—Convenient Synthesis of α,β-Unsaturated α-Iodinated Aldehydes and Ketones

Abstract

The Meyer-Schuster rearrangement reaction has been known for almost a hundred years. It has been used to prepare unsaturated aldehydes, ketones, and even esters from propargyl alcohols. Thirty years ago, the same reaction was found to produce also α-halogenated aldehydes and ketones under suitable conditions. In the last thirty years, several methods have been developed utilizing the Meyer-Schuster rearrangement in the synthesis of halogenated building blocks for use in synthetic chemistry. In this perspective, we describe the progress in the field.