Samarium Iodides: Catalysts for the Formation of Carbon-Nitrogen Bonds

Lanthanide iodides offer great reactive scope as Lewis acid catalysts. Samarium diiodide allows a wide range of carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions, such as Mukaiyama aldol, Diels-Alder, or tandem Mukaiyama Michael aldol reactions. Moreover, lanthanide iodides exhibit high catalytic activities for carbon-nitrogen bond formations which are reviewed here. Highly enantio-enriched amino alcohol and amino acid building blocks are obtained thanks to a new family of enantioselective catalysts developed in our laboratory, iodolanthanide binaphtholates.