4-Hhydroxyproline has been anchored to a polystyrene resin through click chemistry, and the resulting catalyst has been successfully applied to the direct aldol reaction in water. The high hydrophobicity of the resin and the presence of water are key to ensuring high stereoselectivity, whereas yield can be increased by using catalytic amounts of DiMePEG. This effect has been further demonstrated by the inefficiency of a homogeneous, more polar analogue.

A new functional polymer where proline is bonded to polystyrene through a 1,2,3-triazole linker depicts characteristics targeted for an artificial aldolase. In spite of the hydrophobicity of the polymer backbone, the resin swells in water with building of an aqueous microenvironment. This property, arising from the formation of a hydrogen-bond network connecting the proline and 1,2,3-triazole fragments, is translated into a very high catalytic activity and enantioselectivity toward direct aldol reactions in water.

Asymmetric organocatalysis often operates under near ambient conditions, which means it is air and moisture compatible. However, in many examples water is indeed necessary for achieving excellent catalytic results. Ranging from the addition of small amounts of water to a reaction, to complex catalytic systems in the presence of water as the only reaction medium, this review offers an illustrative classification of the uses of water in asymmetric organocatalysis.