The Design of Chiral Double Hydrogen Bonding Networks and Their Applications to Catalytic Asymmetric Carbon-Carbon and Carbon-Oxygen Bond-Forming Reactions

This review focuses on the applications of multicenter organocatalysts, which can form chiral hydrogen bonded networks. The high tunabilities of these catalysts in terms of their active sites, chiral spacers, and tolerated reaction conditions have been used advantageously in applications to various classes of catalytic asymmetric carbon-carbon and carbon-oxygen bond forming reactions. The high stereoselectivities of these reactions are attributed to the chemoselective dual activation of both the nucleophile and electrophile reacting partners in asymmetric space. The key requirements for the cooperative effects of weak noncovalent-bonding interactions are discussed.