ACDC WITHOUT THE HEAVY METAL

摘要

The majority of reactions in organic synthesis proceed via charged intermediates. Only recently, however, has the field of asymmetric counterion-directed catalysis (ACDC) emerged as a powerful strategy for achieving ion-pair enantiocontrol. In this approach, reactions proceeding via ionic intermediates can be conducted asymmetrically by the addition of a chiral counterion catalyst. Despite great progress in this area, a theoretical understanding of how these anions impart enantioselectivity is lacking.