Recent advances in alkaline earth metal-enabled syntheses of heterocyclic compounds.

Heterocyclic compounds are widely distributed in natural products, pharmaceuticals and materials, thus drawing considerable attention from the synthetic communities. Generally, alkaline earth metals are earth-abundant and environmentally friendly compared to precious metals. To date, researchers have achieved great progress in utilization of alkaline earth metals in the syntheses of various heterocyclic compounds. Herein, this review will summarize recent advances in the syntheses of heterocyclic compounds enabled by alkaline earth metals, including magnesium, calcium and strontium. In addition, the summary is also presented.