Platform synthesis: A useful strategy for rapid and systematic generation of molecular diversity

Emergence of library-based approaches have changed the way of developing new functional molecules in materials science and pharmaceutical science. Therefore, reliable methods for rapid and systematic generation of functional molecules are highly called for in this field. We herein describe our concept of "platform synthesis" as a useful strategy for generating molecular diversity. This simple yet powerful strategy realizes the synthesis of a number of interesting multifunctional molecules, such as multisubstituted olefins, in a programmable and diversity-oriented format. As well as applications to the synthesis of pharmaceutically important molecules, such as tamoxifen and CDP840, applications to materials science, which have led to the discovery of interesting fluorescent materials and properties, are also described.