Diaryl Prolinols in Stereoselective Catalysis and Synthesis: An Update

Graphical Abstract

On the way to synthetic applications: this minireview highlights recent developments of readily available α,α-diaryl prolinols in asymmetric catalysis and synthesis. At this stage, their “catalytic evolution” has reached the point of versatile and convenient employment in key-steps for the total synthesis of bioactive and natural compounds.

Abstract

Discovered more than one decade ago, α,α-diaryl prolinols, most of them commercially available compounds, demonstrated to be distinctive organocatalysts in asymmetric synthesis. Their application successfully spanned across different carbon-carbon or carbon-heteroatom bond forming reactions and cascade processes, exploiting covalent and noncovalent activation of the reagents. In this minireview, the advances from 2013 up to the end of 2018 in α,α-diaryl prolinols promoted stereoselective catalysis and synthesis of biologically active compounds, are illustrated.