The copper(II) catalyzed enantioselective 1,4-addition reactions of diethylzinc to cyclic enones in the presence of novel phosphorus amidite ligands, easily prepared from α,α,α',α'-tetraphenyl-2,2'-dimethyl-1,3- dioxolane-4,5-dimethanol (TADDOL) derivatives, resulted in e.e.s up to 71% for cyclohexenone …

Michael additions of α-nitroesters with enones and α,β-unsaturated aldehydes result in quantitative conversions to the corresponding 1,4-adducts by performing the reactions in water in the presence of ytterbium triflate as water-tolerant Lewis acid.

In this article, we review the recent progress that has been made in the field of Lewis-acid catalysis of carbon carbon-bond-forming reactions in aqueous solution. Since water hampers the hard hard interactions between the catalyst and the reactant, it often complicates catalysis. However, once coordination …