Development of organocatalysis based on the molecular design of pyrrolidine-bronsted acid catalysts

Proper design of amine-Bronsted acid catalysis has been shown to be effective for achieving high reactivity and selectivity in the asymmetric direct aldol reaction. During the course of this study, two principal approaches have been implemented to create a new type of catalysis: One is derived from Bronsted acid and diamine; the other is pyrrolidine with tetrazole functionality. The developed amine-Bronsted acid catalysts have been found to effectively catalyze the direct aldol reaction of aldehyde, chloral and nitrosobenzene.