Advances in the Synthesis of Glycerol Phosphatide Esters

A survey is given of the present position in the synthesis of glycerol phosphatide esters ? phosphoric esters in which the glycerol residue is esterified ? some of the principal representatives of the biologically important class of substances, the lipids. The main principles and recent advances are discussed in the synthesis of classical glycerol phosphatide diesters of the type of cephalins, lecithins, phosphatidylserines, cardiolipins, phosphatidylglycerols and their amino-acid derivatives, etc., and also complex phosphatides containing amino-acids, peptides, and sugars. Special attention is paid to the synthesis of optically active unsymettrically substituted myoinositols, which include such glycerol phosphatides as mono-, di-, and tri-phosphoinositides and complexes based on them. The list of references includes 246 items.