Emerging molecular diversity from the intra-molecular Ugi reaction: iterative efficiency in medicinal chemistry.

This review details a now established area within the isonitrile multi-component reaction (IMCR) field of study, namely employing bi-functional reagents in the Ugi reaction for the construction of screening sets with the additional element or even possibly 'metric' of enhanced 'iterative efficiency potential'. The concept of 'iterative efficiency' will be briefly introduced, coupled with discussion on new synthetic routes to select bi-functional IMCR precursors and their use in the generation of pharmacologically relevant 'molecular diversity'.