Enantiomerically pure compounds related to chiral hydroxy acids derived from renewable resources

An inventory of enantiomerically pure compounds of agrochemical, pharmaceutical and of functional interest derived from naturally occurring chiral α-hydroxy acids has been presented. Attention has been focused on the employment of relatively less documented hydroxycitric acids namely isocitric, garcinia and hibiscus acids. Synthetic applications have been reviewed. The chiroptical studies on these new classes of compounds have also been presented.