Diverse strategic approaches en route to Taxol total synthesis

Taxol is one of the most famous diterpenoid natural products used in clinical cancer therapy. Taxol and its analogues are popular synthetic targets and have attracted worldwide attention over the past decades. Tremendous research efforts have already been made and ten groups have achieved the total synthesis of Taxol since 1994. This mini-review summarized the recent highlights of divergent strategic approaches towards the chemical synthesis of Taxol's carbocyclic framework bearing a bridged eight-membered ring.