Naphthoquinone-Based Building Blocks in Synthesis of Natural Products

Naphthoquinones represent versatile building blocks in modern total synthesis. Their inherent electro-, nucleophilicity and redox properties enable a broad range of transformations, including cycloadditions, conjugate additions, annulation reactions, radical processes, and asymmetric catalytic methods. These strategies have been successfully applied to the synthesis of structurally diverse natural products, ranging from polycyclic and spirocyclic architectures to highly oxygenated quinone derivatives. This review summarizes recent advances in the use of naphthoquinone-based intermediates in total synthesis and highlights emerging methodologies that continue to expand the synthetic utility of these compounds.