Recent Advances in Asymmetric Catalysis Associated with B(C6F5)3

Abstract

The prevalence and significance of asymmetric catalysis in the modern medicinal industry has been witnessed in recent years, which have already been used to manufacture the (S)-Naproxen and the (S)-Propranolol. With matched specificities such as the Lewis acidity and steric bulk, B(C6F5)3 has gained accelerating attention on its application in asymmetric catalysis of Diels–Alder cycloaddition reactions, carbonyl-ene cyclization, and other various reactions, which have been demonstrated by the elegant examples from the most recent literature. Some significant progress in the reaction of indirect activation of substrates through in situ generation of numerous supramolecular catalysts from B(C6F5)3 based on Lewis-acid-assisted Lewis acid (LLA) or Lewis acid assisted Brønsted acid (LBA) strategies or the reaction promoted by cooperative actions of chiral co-catalysts and B(C6F5)3 which played a direct role on the activation of substrates have been demonstrated in this review.