Recent Advances of Bismuth(III) Salts in Organic Chemistry: Application to the Synthesis of Heterocycles of Pharmaceutical Interest

The use of bismuth(III) salts in organic synthesis has attracted an increasing interest over the last years. Systems comprising of bismuth(III) salts are generally catalytic and involve a relatively non-toxic metal. These features are of great interest in the area of green and pharmaceutical chemistry. Due to the fact a large number of natural compounds and known drugs are heterocycles, their construction and/or functionalization is of major interest. This review will focus on the uses of bismuth(III) salts in heterocyclic chemistry, as applied to the synthesis of compounds of pharmaceutical interest. In addition to the inclusion of five- and six-membered heterocycles, five- and six-membered heterocycles fused to one benzene ring, as well as other heterocyclic compounds, the application of bismuth(III) salts to chemistry of carbohydrates, nucleosides and β-lactams will also be considered.