Applications of the Nicholas Reaction in the Synthesis of Natural Products

The Nicholas reaction involves the treatment of a cobalt carbonyl-stabilized propargylic cation with a variety of nucleophiles to form a new carbon-carbon or carbon-heteroatom bond. Several features of this reaction make it especially well suited for applications in natural product synthesis, in particular when cyclic and polycyclic target molecules are involved. This review summarizes the results in this area from the last ten years, including approaches towards terpenes, alkaloids and marine natural products.