Organocatalysts are essential tools for the synthesis of bioactive molecules, natural products, and functional organic materials.1 Organocatalysts are of two types based on their modes of activation i) covalent-bond activation ii) non-covalent-bond activation. The non-covalent bond catalysts include hydrogen bonding (HB) catalysts, phase transfer (PTC) catalysts, halogen bonding (XB) catalysts, and chalcogen bonding (ChB) catalysts. Among them, the hydrogen bonding and phase transfer catalysts are well established.2 Recently, halogen bonding (XB) catalysis and its asymmetric version have also been explored.3 A few organic transformations such as Povarov reaction, Cloke-Wilson reaction, ether C-O bond activation, transfer hydrogenation of quinolines have been reported using chalcogen bonding (ChB) catalysis (Scheme 1).4 However, enantioselective chalcogen bonding catalysis is yet to be reported. This research proposal seminar will focus on the basic of non-covalent interactions, σ-hole and chalcogen bonding catalysis, including our research proposal about asymmetric chalcogen bonding (ChB) catalysis.








Scheme 1. ChB donor catalyzed organic transformations.
References
1. Han, B.; He, X.-H.; Liu, Y.-Q.; He, G.; Peng, C.; Li, J.-L. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2021, 50, 1522-1586.
2. a) Yu, X.; Wang, W. Chem. Asian J. 2008, 3, 516-532. b) Kaneko, S.; Kumatabara, Y.; Shirakawa, S. A 2016, 14, 5367-5376.
3. Bamberger, J.; Ostler, F.; Mancheno, O. G. ChemCatChem 2019, 11, 5198-5211.
4. Sekar, G.; Nair, V. V.; Zhu, J. Chem. Soc. Rev. 2024, 53, 586-605.