title: Asymmetric organocatalysis mediated by α,α-L-diaryl prolinols: recent advances.
abstract: This feature article illustrates progress in asymmetric organocatalysis achieved by using readily available α,α-L-diaryl prolinols from 2009 up to middle 2012. This class of bifunctional organocatalysts has shown the ability to catalyze a variety of reactions such as epoxidation, cyclopropanation, α-sulfenylation of active methines, cross conjugate addition, direct aldol, cycloaddition and desymmetrization reactions. The most striking feature of these promoters is to enable either non-covalent or covalent activation of the reagents, thus distinguishing themselves as a rare example of organic promoters capable of encompassing alternative mechanistic pathways, namely enamine/iminium catalysis and Brønsted acid/base catalysis.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica e Biologia, Università di Salerno, Via Ponte don Melillo, 84084, Fisciano, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Meninno
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lattanzi
mesh_terms: D000447:Aldehydes / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D002384:Catalysis; D061565:Cycloaddition Reaction; D003521:Cyclopropanes / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D004852:Epoxy Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D015394:Molecular Structure; D011759:Pyrrolidines / Q000737:chemistry*; D013237:Stereoisomerism
chemical_list: D000447:Aldehydes; D003521:Cyclopropanes; D004852:Epoxy Compounds; D011759:Pyrrolidines