Organocatalytic asymmetric Mannich reaction

Organocatalytic asymmetric reaction is an increasingly active area in organic synthesis. Asymmetric Mannich reaction is a powerful tool for the synthesis of beta-amino-carbonyl compounds. The reported organocatalyst for asymmetric Mannich reaction includes proline derivatives, chiral phosphoric acids, chiral ( thio) urea derivatives, cinchona alkaloids etc. which can catalyze the asymmetric Mannich reaction with high catalytic activity and excellent enantioselectivity. The applications of various organocatalysts in asymmetric Mannich reaction are reviewed in this paper. The reaction mechanism, catalytic activity and the asymmetric induction influenced by the structure of organocatalysts and the reaction condition are also discussed.