Asymmetric addition of boron and silicon nucleophiles

Abstract

The recent progress in catalytic asymmetric carbon–boron and carbon– silicon bond formation catalyzed by chiral copper(I) complexes is tremendous. Within less than a decade, the majority of fundamental bond-forming reactions in this arena, that is, conjugate addition, 1,2-addition and allylic substitution, were accomplished. These enantioselective transformations had been either elusive or not even known before. This chapter summarizes these fascinating developments together with a brief mechanistic discussion as these copper(I) catalyses share transmetalation of interelement bonds such as B–B and Si–B as a common feature.