Heterogeneous Asymmetric Catalysis

Abstract

This chapter summarizes the results on asymmetric reactions induced by supported or immobilized chiral organocatalysts, collected in reviews before 2008 and also in more recent papers published between 2009 and 2015. The most extensively studied asymmetric reactions are as follows: aldol addition, Michael reaction, Diels‐Alder reaction, diethylzinc addition, epoxidation, and hydrogenation. The most important support materials used for the fabrication of immobilized chiral organocatalysts are natural or synthetic polymers, amorphous and ordered silica, cross‐linked polymers, clays, inorganic materials, nanoparticles (NPs) and metal‐organic frameworks (MOFs) with various structural features. The asymmetric aldol reaction is one of the most efficient synthetic methods for obtaining optically active β‐hydroxy carbonyl compounds, which may be applied in organic syntheses. The enantioselective Michael addition is one of the most frequently studied reactions in asymmetric organocatalysis, which is suitable for the construction of optically active compounds that are useful intermediates for a number of natural and synthetic products.