A highly diastereodivergent synthesis of tetrasubstituted cyclohexanes has been achieved using modularly designed organocatalysts (MDOs) which are self-assembled in situ from amino acids and cinchona alkaloid derivatives. Diastereodivergence is realized through controlling the stereoselectivity of the individual steps of a tandem Michael/Michael reaction. Up to 8 of the 16 possible stereoisomers have been successfully obtained in high stereoselectivities using MDOs for the tandem reaction and an ensuing epimerization. The method was used in the enantioselective synthesis of the natural products (-)-α- and β-lycoranes.

A cinchona alkaloid-derived urea was found to be an efficient organocatalyst for catalyzing enantioselective conjugate addition between thiols and various alpha,beta-unsaturated ketones to provide optically active sulfides with high chemical yields (up to >99%) and enantiomeric excess (up to >99% ee). The reaction was performed with 0.1 mol % of catalyst in toluene at room temperature. A transition state model has been proposed to explain the stereochemical outcome of the reaction.

Organocatalytic conjugate addition of thiols to α-substituted N-acryloyloxazolidin-2-ones followed by asymmetric protonation has been studied in the presence of cinchona alkaloid derived thioureas. Both of the enantiomers are accessible with the same level of enantioselectivity using pseudoenantiomeric quinine/quinidine derived catalysts. The addition/protonation products have been converted to useful biologically active molecules.

An efficient enantioselective conjugate addition of malononitrile to a range of β-substituted 2-enoylpyridines catalyzed by cinchona alkaloid-based bifunctional urea catalysts has been developed. Both enantiomers of the products could be achieved with the same level of enantioselectivity by using pseudoenantiomeric catalysts in up to 97% ee and in excellent yields. One of the enantioenriched products has been transformed to a highly functionalized piperidone derivative.

The List-Barbas-Mannich reaction of ethyl (p-methoxyphenylimino)acetate (p-methoxyphenyl = PMP) with unmodified aldehydes or ketones catalyzed by modularly designed organocatalysts (MDOs) that are self-assembled from proline and cinchona alkaloid thioureas (such as a quinidine-derived thiourea) produces the corresponding γ-oxo-α-amino acid derivatives in high yields and excellent stereoselectivities. No solvent is necessary for this reaction. Aldehydes are especially good substrates for this reaction: The reaction takes only a few minutes to yield the corresponding List-Barbas-Mannich products in excellent dr (up to >99:1) and ee values (up to >99% ee).

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A highly diastereodivergent synthesis of tetrasubstituted cyclohexanes has been achieved using modularly designed organocatalysts (MDOs) which are self‐assembled in situ from amino acids and cinchona alkaloid derivatives. Diastereodivergence is realized through controlling the stereoselectivity of the individual steps of a tandem Michael/Michael reaction. Up to 8 of the 16 possible stereoisomers have been successfully obtained in high stereoselectivities using MDOs for the tandem reaction and an ensuing epimerization. The method was used in the enantioselective synthesis of the natural products (−)‐α‐ and β‐lycoranes.