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7035719 
Journal Article 
The catalytic Mitsunobu reaction: a critical analysis of the current state-of-the-art 
Beddoe, RH; Sneddon, HF; Denton, RM; , 
2018 
1 
Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry
ISSN: 1477-0520
EISSN: 1477-0539 
ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY 
CAMBRIDGE 
7774-7781 
English 
30306184 
WOS:000448947100001 
The Mitsunobu reaction is widely regarded as the pre-eminent method for performing nucleophilic substitutions of alcohols with inversion of configuration. However, its applicability to large-scale synthesis is undermined by the fact that alcohol activation occurs at the expense of two stoichiometric reagents - a phosphine and an azodicarboxylate. The ideal Mitsunobu reaction would be sub-stoichiometric in the phosphine and azodicarboxylate species and employ innocuous terminal oxidants and reductants to achieve recycling. This Review article provides a summary and analysis of recent advances towards the development of such catalytic Mitsunobu reactions.