Alcohols in direct carbon-carbon and carbon-heteroatom bond-forming reactions: recent advances

In recent years, nucleophilic substitution of alcohols leading to the formation of the C-C and C-heteroatom bonds has become an attractive process used in the synthesis of organic compounds, offering a potential impact on the environment, since water is the only by-product of the reaction. A comprehensive compilation of methods for the activation and displacement of a hydroxyl group covering the last seventeen years is the objective of the present review.