Cover Picture: Flowing and Vibrant Organocatalysis (ChemCatChem 7/2012)

Curiosity kills the flu! The cover picture shows a “curious” cat on the prowl for new effective synthetic strategies for Oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) synthesis. The cat represents a new, effective CATalyst able to perform a reaction in a very effective way. The European project CATAFLU.OR (organocatalysis against flu) proposed a new domino reaction based on an organocatalytic approach to the synthesis of Tamiflu derivatives. The innovative objectives and the long-term vision of this successful project anticipated new approaches to organocatalysts, new reactions, and new synthetic methodologies. To celebrate the success of organocatalysis in proposing new effective syntheses of Oseltamivir, P. G. Cozzi and Y. Hayashi have invited a number of distinguished colleagues active in the organocatalytic field to show the potential of organocatalysis. As expressed in the editorial, on p. 887 ff., flowing and vibrant organocatalysis is illustrated by a series of articles collected in this issue, covering many aspects of the discipline.