Enantioselective Cascade Reactions Initiated by Conjugate Addition

Abstract

The reactivity profile of the conjugate addition reaction makes this transformation to be an outstanding platform for carrying our cascade processes, in which two or more consecutive reactions take place along the process, allowing the construction of complex molecules from simple starting materials. This ability to generate molecular complexity together with the possibility to form multiple stereocenters in a very easy and straightforward way by introducing a convenient catalyst as stereodirecting element has also been faced by many researchers for the development of a variety of methodologies involving such a cascade processes. In particular, the use of organocatalysis as the vehicle to stereocontrol has shown up as a very efficient and convenient methodological approach to carry out transformations that are not easily performed with the well-established metal-catalyzed methods. In this chapter, cascade processes initiated by organocatalytic conjugate additions will be presented combining all the activation modes previously discussed in the preceding chapters and classifying the different methodologies according to the mechanism of activation of the organocatalyst and also to the nature of the cascade-initiating process