Iodanes as multi-tools for the total synthesis of complex natural products

Hypervalent iodine reagents are among the most fascinating reagents described in the last 30 years since they allow a plethora of different transformations and are environmentally friendly compounds that avoid the use of toxic heavy metals in most cases. Hence, their versatility has been widely used in multi-step syntheses for the formation of complex structures. In particular, the use of iodanes can easily generate complexity from simple substrates, leading to polyfunctionalized systems that allow the rapid formation of natural products or related intricate architectures. In this review, we describe a plethora of recent routes and strategies to produce complex natural products based on several key steps mediated by hypervalent iodines that help in building the desired molecule framework, highlighting the numerous advantages of these key reactants yet not hiding their possible limitations. Hypervalent iodine reagents as efficient tools for the total synthesis of complex natural products.