1-Hydroxymethyl-substituted tetrahydroisoquinolines are scarce in nature; the widespread
alkaloid calycotomine is its most prominent example. The different total syntheses
of this natural product, used as test ground for the development of novel synthetic
methodologies during the last forty years, and those of some structurally related
precursors, are reviewed.
natural products - total synthesis - alkaloids - cyclizations - calycotomine