Vinylogous Mannich reaction in total synthesis of alkaloids

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

. This review presents a structured and concept-oriented overview of VMR-based alkaloid synthesis. Representative applications are organized according to the nature of the vinylogous nucleophiles, including both acyclic and cyclic dienol equivalents. Particular emphasis is placed on reaction design, stereochemical control, complexity generation, and the integration of VMR into asymmetric, collective, and biomimetic synthetic strategies. Overall, this review highlights the evolution of VMR from a methodological variant of the classical Mannich reaction into a broadly applicable approach for the efficient synthesis of structurally diverse alkaloids. It also provides perspectives on its future development in alkaloid synthesis.