Resumo

HERNANDEZ RODRIGUEZ, Marcos. Asymmetric Organocatalysis: A Toolbox for Building Molecules. Educ. quím [online]. 2022, vol.33, n.1, pp.5-15.  Epub 11-Nov-2022. ISSN 0187-893X.  https://doi.org/10.22201/fq.18708404e.2022.1.81372.

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Benjamin List and David W. C. MacMillan for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis. The purpose of this article is to explain this synthetic tool, history before the invention of organocatalysis, and the works that initiated this field by the enamine and iminium activation discovered by the Nobel laureates. Additionally, hydrogen bond catalysis and bifunctional catalysis are mentioned. The scope of organocatalysis in the synthesis of the antivirals letermovil and oseltamivir and a suggestion of how to include organocatalysis in undergraduate courses is illustrated.

Palavras-chave : Organocatalysis; Nobel prize in Chemistry; enamine activation; iminium activation; hydrogen bond.