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New reactivity in organocatalysis

Science: Asymmetric activation of olefins

Olefins are one of the most fundamental compound classes in chemistry and are often obtained directly from crude oil. The use of this ubiquitous functionality to introduce molecular complexity is therefore highly sought-after. Though Nature uses biologically enzymes, chemists generally consider transition metal catalysis as the preferred strategy for asymmetric olefin activation. While organocatalysis has quickly become one of the pillars of catalysis since its inception in the late 1990s, its use in asymmetric olefin activation has remained out of reach.

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