Asymmetric Dual Enamine Catalysis/Hydrogen Bonding Activation

Abstract

Asymmetric enamine base activation of carbonyl compounds is a well-known and widely used strategy for providing functionalization of organic compounds in an efficient way. The use of solely organic substances, which in most cases are commercially available primary or secondary amines that are easy to obtain, avoids the use of hazardous substances or metal traces, making this type of catalysis a highly convenient methodology from a sustainable point of view. In many cases, the reactivity or the stereoselectivity obtained is far from being a practical and advantageous strategy; this can be improved by using a hydrogen bonding co-catalyst that can help during the activation of one species or by using a bifunctional catalyst that can direct the approximation of reagents during the reaction outcome. In this review, we describe the most efficient methodologies that make use of a dual activation of reagents for performing α-functionalization (enamine activation) or remote functionalization (such as dienamine or trienamine activation) of carbonyl compounds.