Recent Experimental and Computational Studies of the Mechanisms of Enantioselection in Asymmetric Catalytic Reactions

Abstract

Minireview describes most recent mechanistic studies of the synthetically or theoretically important catalytic asymmetric reactions. Contrary to the commonly accepted view of competition between two almost identical catalytic pathways leading to the opposite enantiomers of the product, in most cases it was essential to analyze numerous mechanistic possibilities and competition of structurally dissimilar catalytic pathways.