Different Strategies for Designing Dual-Catalytic Enantioselective Processes: From Fully Cooperative to Non-cooperative Systems

An emerging area of research in chemistry requires that we learn how to manage the characteristics of a pair of co-catalysts so that a transformation proceeds as we wish it to. These are processes during which one catalyst first generates a non-isolable intermediate, which then in situ undergoes a reaction that is promoted by a different catalyst. This scenario raises several design issues. Since co-catalysts often have overlapping functions, what if there is an exchange of ligands between two organometallic catalysts? How can we be certain that a co-catalyst reacts specifically with a particular intermediate? What if the less reactive co-catalyst must engage first, and the one that is more active needs to wait its turn? How might we orchestrate the proper sequence of events? While many dual-catalytic processes have been introduced and reviews are available, there are subtle yet crucial distinguishing attributes that remain unappreciated. While the terms dual-catalysis and cooperative catalysis are often used interchangeably, on many occasions the catalysts are not entirely cooperative. Here, we will discuss how chemists have been able to harmonize the opposing functions of catalysts to achieve high efficiency and/or stereoselectivity. We will show that the progress achieved thus far is likely the preamble to the future development of non-orthogonal multi-catalytic processes (i.e., transformations involving several catalysts that are not inherently cooperative) where the order with which each catalyst enters the fray will demand additional innovative strategies.