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Updated: Jun 6, 2026
09:34
Synthesis of Information-bearing Peptoids and their Sequence-directed Dynamic Covalent Self-assembly
Published on: February 6, 2020
From Activation to Assembly: Multifunctional Reagents Enabling Step and Atom Economy in Modern Synthesis
Shovan Mondal1, Amrit Krishna Mitra2
1Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, India.
Chemical Record (New York, N.Y.)
|June 5, 2026
Summary
Multifunctional reagents streamline organic synthesis by combining multiple functions in one molecule. This review covers their evolution and impact on efficiency and sustainability in chemical reactions.
Area of Science:
- Organic Chemistry
- Synthetic Chemistry
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Multifunctional reagents integrate activation, fragment delivery, and reaction control.
- Their strategic design is a powerful paradigm in modern organic synthesis.
- Advances span from 2005 to 2025, evolving classical systems to sophisticated platforms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evolution of multifunctional reagents in organic synthesis.
- To highlight their diverse architectures and activation modes.
- To analyze their impact on reaction efficiency and sustainability.
Main Methods:
- Review of literature from 2005-2025.
- Categorization by reagent architecture and activation mode (molecular, heterogeneous, photochemical, catalyst-programmable).
- Analysis of mechanistic insights from kinetic, spectroscopic, isotopic, and computational studies.
Main Results:
- Evolution from simple reagents (DMSO, DMF) to complex systems (silylated lactams, vinylene carbonates, etc.).
- Demonstrated ability to enable cascade reactions, multicomponent processes, and late-stage functionalizations.
- Improved chemoselectivity, step economy, and atom economy in chemical synthesis.
Conclusions:
- Multifunctional reagents offer a unifying framework for efficient molecular construction.
- They enable compressed multistep sequences and enhanced sustainability.
- Challenges remain in reagent synthesis and process translation for industrial application.
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