Recent Advances in the Assembly of Tri-substituted Oxazoles

Tri-substituted oxazoles, appearing in several anticancer natural products and various other bioactive compounds, have become increasingly visible in recent years. Research into the synthesis of such oxazoles has led to the development of new synthetic methods as well as refinements of classic methods of their synthesis. In addition, a number of research groups have pursued the synthesis of fully-functionalized-oxazole-containing natural products. We review recent investigations (2004-present) into methods of tri-substituted oxazole synthesis, and the construction of complex natural products containing such oxazoles.