Tapping proton power for enantioselective synthesis

A simple proton is the key to a novel approach by US-based chemists to synthesise chiral amines and alcohols – a structural motif common to many organic molecules with pharmaceutical promise. The proton is at the heart of a potent organocatalyst designed by Amir Hoveyda and his colleagues at Boston College to generate these compounds with high enantioselectivity. The simple, robust catalyst offers a highly practical approach for synthesising many complex, chiral organic compounds.  More...

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2013/02/proton-organocatalysis-chiral-amine-alcohol