Catalytic enantioselective allylation with chiral Lewis bases

The advent of chiral Lewis base-promoted allylation of aldehydes has opened a new direction in the catalytic enantioselective construction of homoallylic alcohols. This short review outlines the conceptual framework for the creation of this new process and the interplay of mechanistic investigations and synthetic studies that have conspired to produce a useful new reaction. The current state-of-the-art in catalyst design and application of the reaction in synthesis are briefly illustrated.