This literature overview demonstrates that helically chiral ligands and organocatalysts have been largely neglected so far. However, a few recent studies on helical pyridine, the corresponding ammonium salts and N-oxides have highlighted the significant potential of these compounds as organocatalysts for Michael type additions, aldehyde propargylations, epoxide openings, and others. In addition, helicenes displaying a fused phosphole ring at the end of their polyaromatic structures, have been used as ligands in enantioselective gold promoted cycloisomerization reactions, giving both excellent catalytic activity and high enantiomeric excesses. These recent results are expected to stimulate further research on the catalytic applications of helically chiral auxiliaries in the next few years.

Additional experiments are now in progress in an effort to distinguish between the possible spontaneous reaction mechanism for 5b.

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N-Heterocyclic carbene (NHC) platinum complexes have been highlighted as a promising and original platform for building new cytotoxic drugs of the cisplatin series. Mixed NHC-amine Pt(II) complexes have been prepared via a facile and modular two step sequence leading to trans-configured square planar species. They have been characterized by spectroscopic methods and X-ray diffraction studies. Their efficiency against both cisplatin sensitive (CEM and H460) and resistant (A2780/DDP, CH1/DDP, and SK-OV-3) cell lines has been demonstrated by in vitro experiments.

In memory of Professor Luigi M. Venanzi, a highly respected inorganic chemist Electrophilic and nucleophilic terminal-phosphinidene complexes are compared in terms of electronic structures and reactivities. Various precursors of the unstable electrophilic species [RÀPÀM] (M Cr, Mo, W(CO) 5 and Fe(CO) 4 ) are discussed. The addition reactions of the electrophilic phosphinidene complexes with Lewis bases, insertion reactions into OÀH, NÀH, and activated CÀH bonds, and cycloaddition reactions with double and triple bonds are described, as well as some rearrangements and autocondensations. Various applications to the synthesis of new organophosphorus molecules are discussed and techniques available for demetallation are given.

This paper discloses the first uses of phosphahelicenes as chiral ligands in transition-metal catalysis. Unlike all known helical phosphines used so far in catalysis, the phosphorus function of phosphahelicenes is embedded in the helical structure itself. This crucial structural feature originates unprecedented catalytic behaviors and efficiency. An appropriate design and fine tuning allowed both high catalytic activity and good enantiomeric excesses to be attained in the gold promoted cycloisomerizations of N-tethered 1,6-enynes and dien-ynes.

Planar chiral phosphines displaying a new ferrocenophane scaffold have been prepared via a stereoselective approach. The P-cyclohexyl substituted phosphine affords high levels of asymmetric induction in the organocatalytic [3 + 2] annulation reaction between allenes and electron-poor olefins.