A wide variety of chiral succinimides have been prepared in high yields and enantioselectivities by an asymmetric conjugate addition of 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds to maleimides under very mild reaction conditions using the bifunctional benzimidazole-derived organocatalyst 5f. Computational and NMR studies support the hydrogen-bonding activation role of the catalyst and the origin of the stereosel...

Organocatalyst and metal provide different products: a catalyst-controlled switchable phosphination of α-diazoesters has been developed by using DBU and copper as catalysts. It provided an efficient synthetic method for the construction of various phosphorus compounds via the formation of N-P and C-P bonds.

A highly active organocatalyst has been shown to affect the asymmetric reductive amination of ketones producing both aromatic and aliphatic amines. At 1 mol% catalyst loading, a series of structurally diverse chiral amines were quickly and economically prepared with good enantioselectivity and generally useful yield. The efficient synthesis of the calcimimetic (+)-NPS R-568 (67%, 89% ee) demons...

An L-proline based supramolecular hydrogel is used as an efficient heterogeneous organocatalyst for the direct aldol reaction with high stereoselectivity (up to 90% ee) and recyclability (up to 3 runs). The reversible nature of this self-assembled supramolecular system allows for easy recovery and regeneration of the catalyst.

1,1’-(Ethane-1,2-diyl)dipyridinium bistribromide (EDPBT) was used as a chemoselective and effective organocatalyst for the silylation of hydroxyl groups as well as desilylation of trimethylsilyl ethers under mild conditions at room temperature with good to excellent yields.

The activation mode of a rotaxane-based organocatalyst with both secondary amine and squaramide catalytic units can be switched with acid or base. The macrocycle blocks whichever of the catalytic sites it is positioned over. The switchable rotaxane catalyst generates different products from a mixture of three building blocks according to the location of the macrocyclic ring in the rotaxane.

(S(a))-Binam-D-prolinamide (20 mol%), instead of (S(a))-binam-L-prolinamide, in combination with chloroacetic acid (100 mol%) is an efficient organocatalyst for the direct aldol reaction between α-keto esters as electrophiles and alkyl and α-functionalised ketones, under quasi solvent-free conditions, providing access to highly functionalised chiral quaternary γ-keto α-hydroxyesters with up to ...

Asymmetric addition under mild conditions of dialkyl phosphites on aldimines derived from cinnamaldehyde catalyzed by the inexpensive chiral organocatalyst (R)-3,3'-[4-fluorophenyl](2)-1,1'-binaphthol phosphate has been found effective to give new alpha-amino-phosphonates 9 in moderate yields (30-65%) and enantiomeric excess (8.4%-61.9%).

Highly enantioselective methanolysis of meso-cyclic anhydride was achieved with bifunctional organocatalyst containing a quinine-thiourea moiety; unusual concentration, temperature and solvent effects on the enantioselectivity can be explained in terms of a mechanism involving monomer-dimer equilibration of the catalyst.

A novel chiral spiro-pyrrolidine silyl ether organocatalyst has been designed. Its catalytic asymmetric effect is demonstrated by the Michael addition reaction, which affords the desired products with an all-carbon quaternary center in up to 99% ee and 87% yield. Furthermore, the reaction process has been investigated via in situ NMR experiments.