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In line with the principles of "green" chemistry, organocatalysis seeks to reduce energy consumption and to optimize the use of the available resources, aiming to become a sustainable strategy in chemical transformations. Nevertheless, during the last decade diverse experimental protocols have made organocatalysis an even "greener" alternative by the use of friendlier reaction conditions, or via the application of solvent-free methodologies, or through the design and synthesis of more selective catalysts, or via the development of multicomponent one-pot organocatalytic reactions, or by the recycling and reuse of organocatalysts, or by means of the application of more energy-efficient activation techniques, among other approaches. In this feature article we review some of the remarkable advancements that have made it possible to develop even more sustainable asymmetric organocatalyzed methodologies.

Ab initio calculations, within the framework of density functional theory, were carried out on cyclohexane, 1,3-dioxane, 1,3-dithiane, 1,3-oxathiane, and 1,3-diazane. The one-bond 13 C-1 H NMR coupling constants were estimated according to the recently proposed theory by Salahub, D. R. Chem. Phys. Lett. 1994, 221, 91]. No correlation between one-bond 13 C-1 H spin-spin coupling constants and the corresponding C-H bond distances was found. The direction of the Perlin effect, defined as the difference between the axial minus the equatorial one-bond C-H coupling constants, is correctly predicted by this methodology for all cases with the exception of one methylene group in 1,3-oxathiane. Thus, in general, the methodology is capable of reproducing subtle properties that are driven by stereoelectronic interactions.

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The first systematic study of the intramolecular α-effect, both in the stable ground-state structures and in the high-energy intermediates, was accomplished using the anomeric effect as an internal stereo­electronic probe. Contrary to the expectations based on the simple orbital mixing model, the lone pairs in a pair of neutral directly connected heteroatoms are not raised in energy to become stronger donors toward adjacent σ- and π-acceptors. Instead, the key n(X‑Y)→​σ*C‑F interactions (X,Y = O,N) in the “α-systems” (both acyclic and constrained within a heterocyclohexane frame) are weaker than nX→​σ*C‑F interactions in “normal” systems. Surprisingly, polar solvent effects increase the apparent magnitude of α-effect as measured via increase in the anomeric stabilization. This behavior is opposite to the solvent dependence of normal systems where the anomeric effect is severely weakened by polar solvents. This contrasting behavior reflects the different balance of electrostatic and conjugative interactions in the two types of anomeric systems: the α-systems suffer less from the unfavorable orientation of bond dipoles in the equatorial conformer, a destabilizing electrostatic effect that is shielded by the polar environments. A weak α-effect is brought to life when the buttressing α-heteroatom bears a negative charge. However, electrostatic components mask the role of stabilizing orbital interactions. In contrast, the increased electron demand in carbocations and related electron-deficient TS- like structures does not lead to activation of the α-effect. As a consequence, we observed that ethers are better radical- and cation-stabilizing groups than peroxides. The latter finding should have significant implications for understanding the mechanistic complexity associated with the interaction of carbonyl compounds with hydroperoxides and H2O2 in acidic media, as such reactions involve α-cationic intermediates.

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Cyclohexane (1), oxygen-, sulfur-, and/or nitrogen-containing six-membered heterocycles 2-5, cyclohexanone (6), and cyclohexanone derivatives 7-16 were studied theoretically [B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) and PP/IGLO-III//B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) methods] to determine the structural (in particular C-H bond distances) and spectroscopic (specifically, one bond (1)J(C-H) NMR coupling constants) consequences of stereoelectronic hyperconjugative effects. The results confirm the importance of n(X) --> sigma*(C-H)(app) (where X = O, N), sigma(C-H)(ax) --> pi*(C=O), sigma(S-C) --> sigma*(C-H)(app), sigma(C-S)-->sigma*(C-H)(app), beta-n(O) --> sigma*(C-H), and sigma(C-H) --> sigma*(C-H)(app) hyperconjugation, as advanced in previous theoretical models. Calculated r(C-H) bond lengths and (1)J(C-H) coupling constants for C-H bonds participating in more than one hyperconjugative interaction show additivity of the effects.

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