The Development of Organocatalytic Asymmetric Reduction of Carbonyls and Imines Using Silicon Hydrides

The asymmetric reduction of prochiral ketones and ketimines represents one of the most important and practical chemical transformations toward the synthesis of valuable chiral alcohols and amines. Among the existing strategies, organocatalyzed asymmetric reduction of carbonyls and imines using silicon hydrides is attractive due to low-cost, chemical stability, and easy handling in experiments. In this review, we wish to highlight the recent progress made in the past fifteen years in this field. Four catalytic systems of different activation modes are presented and discussed in detail. We aim to help shed light on common features that enable highly enantioselective silicon hydride reductions through organocatalysis and provide the design principles for the development of more effective catalytic systems.

Automated summary

The asymmetric reduction of prochiral ketones and ketimines using silicon hydrides as organocatalysts is an important and practical method for synthesizing valuable chiral alcohols and amines due to its low cost and chemical stability. This review highlights recent progress in the field over the past fifteen years, discussing four catalytic systems and providing design principles for more effective catalytic systems.