Recent Advances in the Construction of Phosphorus‐Substituted Heterocycles, 2009–2019

Phosphorus‐substituted heterocycles represent an important class of organophosphorus compounds, which not only widely exist in biologically active pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, but also have widespread applications in material science and organic synthesis as ligands for transition metal complexes. The synthesis of such compounds integrates the development of new synthetic methods and exploration of efficient catalytic systems, reflects the latest achievements in organic, transition metal, photo and even electrochemical catalysis, and facilitates the synthesis of sufficient quantities of related compounds as potential medicinal agents and biological probes in this area. Over the past few decades, two major synthetic strategies have been established toward phosphorus‐substituted heterocycles. This review summarizes the recent progress in this field and discusses the reaction mechanisms in detail. The advantages and limitations of each subdivisional tactic are presented, and the synthetic opportunities still open are outlined.