The pinacol rearrangement is essentially a dehydration reaction of an alcohol, specifically a diol. The following is an example of a pinacol rearrangement in which the (R,R)-diol (TBDMS is tert-butyldimethylsilyl) was allowed to react with 2,2 dimethylpropane (2,2-DMP) in the presence of boron trifluoride etherate at room temperature. This particular reaction was done in order to attain the acetone derivative.

Interestingly, instead of retaining its chirality, the product of the pinacol arrangement actually resulted in a racemic mixture. Subsequent derivatives of this product eventually yield benzophenone (hydroxyphenstatin), which, biologically, is a potent antitumor and antimitotic agent. Accordingly, hydroxyphenstatin has also been proven to inhibit tubulin assembly.

D,L-1,2,4-butanetriol can be made in two different ways; the first way is commercial synthesis through reduction of esterified D,L-malic acid with sodium borohydride, NaBH4, while the second way involves microbes. The latter method was the focus of the journal article. Nitration of racemic D,L-1,2,4-butanetriol results in D,L-1,2,4-butanetriol trinitrate, a compound that is the energetic equivalent of nitroglycerin, but is less shock sensitive, more thermally stable, and less volatile. One of the final steps in the synthesis of D, L-1,2,4-butanetriol via microbes is the reduction of a racemic mixture of D,L-3,4-dihydroxybutanal (aldehyde), to the final alcohol product, as seen in the reaction below. The catalyst for the reaction is dehydrogenase from E. coli.

The picture above shows a few of the steps in the creation of amphetamines. In these steps, tosyl chloride is added to (2,5-dimethoxyl-4-methylphenyl)-2-propanol to create the tosylate. After this step, the reaction can proceed in one of two ways. If the chirality of the amphetamine is not important, ammonia is added to the tosylate to give 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine. This reaction has an 80% yield, but has a racemic mixture of products because it is thought to be an SN1 reaction. If the chirality is important, the tosylate is converted into an azide with sodium azide, then hydrogenated using a paladium catalyst to form 2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine. Forming the amphetamine using this method gives a final yield of about 77%. The chirality of the original alcohol is inverted by the tosylation, so reacting an (S)-alcohol with the tosyl-azide-hydrogen sequence would give an (R)-amphetamine, and vice versa.

The above reaction is an example of a Williamson synthesis of an ether. It is one the earlier steps in the reaction mechanism resulting in the octaethylene glycol derivative of 1,1,1,3,5,5,5-heptamethyltrisiloxane. Such an initial Williamson synthesis reaction had to be carried out so that later steps in the reaction—that is, ones involving material types not readily accessible—could successfully yield the derivative product. The resultant glycol derivative is an example of a defined surfactant. This particular journal article focused on the correlation between surfactant constituents and the effect on properties such as spreading performance.
The Williamson synthesis involves an SN2 reaction in which a halogen, sulfonyl, or sulfate group is replaced by an alkoxide ion, which can itself be prepared by a reaction of the alcohol with an active metal such as sodium or its hydride (i.e. NaH). The resultant alkoxide salt then reacts with the alkyl halide (must be primary) to produce an ether via the SN2 mechanism.
Other examples of Williamson synthesis of ethers can be found in this same reaction mechanism used to produce the surfactant. 

This is one of the steps in the synthesis of Taxol. Taxol is an anticancer drug found in the bark of the Pacific yew tree. In the step outlined, an ester is reduced by LiAlH4 and THF to an alcohol.