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In this review we highlight the general cyclization strategies currently available to organic chemists for the concurrent and stereoselective installation of multipleQuaternary Stereogenic Centers(QSC) atoms in cyclic or polycyclic architectures. QSCs embedded in rigid cyclic architectures are motifs found in many blockbuster drugs and important bioactive natural product classes, and yet, direct access to these structures stereoselectively from simple precursors remains a significant challenge. Underscoring the difficulty associated with their synthesis, such topologically three‐dimensional molecules are underrepresented in existing small molecule compound libraries, which are instead dominated by linear or flat molecules. This review focuses on methods disclosed in both natural product synthesis and methodology studies since the turn of the 21^stcentury. The cases to be examined successfully achieve these challenging transformations: (1)one‐step assembly of the cyclized architecture; and (2)concurrent stereoselective installation of multiple (≥2) new QSCs. These cyclization strategies, which address the aforementioned fundamental challenges in complex molecule synthesis, have been categorized into five broad groups: i) Biomimetic Polyene Cyclization Cascades; ii) Cyclization Cascades of Prochiral Alkenes; iii) Cycloadditions; iv) Dearomatizations; v) Electrocyclizations.

A diastereoselective two‐step strategy for the synthesis of densely functionalized 1‐halocyclopentenes with several chiral centers has been developed. In the first step, a multicomponent alkynyl halo‐Prins reaction joins an enyne, a carbonyl derivative, and either a chloride, bromide, or iodide to produce a cyclic ether intermediate. In the subsequent step, the intermediate is ionized to generate a halopentadienyl cation, which undergoes an interrupted halo‐Nazarov cyclization. The products contain three new contiguous stereogenic centers, generated with a high level of stereocontrol, as well as a vinyl halide allowing for additional functionalization. The strategy creates two new carbon–carbon bonds, one carbon–halide bond, and one carbon–oxygen bond.