Birds of a Feather-Asymmetric Organocatalysis Meets Asymmetric Transition Metal Catalysis

The results of recent studies on the mechanism of stereoinduction in asymmetric hydrogenation catalyzed by transition metal complexes suggest that hydrogen activation by metal atoms and the generation of enantioselectivity by organic ligands proceed independently. Hence, these reactions can be considered as variants of a cooperative organocatalytic reaction. This conclusion opens a broader view on rational catalyst design, suggesting that the structural ideas from different fields can be exploited reciprocally.

Automated summary

Recent studies on the mechanism of asymmetric hydrogenation catalyzed by transition metal complexes suggest that hydrogen activation and enantioselectivity generation are independent processes. This conclusion opens up new possibilities for rational catalyst design.