Homogeneous asymmetric catalysis enantioselective reactions

The detailed design of chiral reaction spaces for asymmetric catalysis on surfaces is still a serious challenge [1, 26, 27]. The chemistry of homogeneous metal complexes in solution can not straightforwardly be transferred to chemistry on solid surfaces, and both catalytic activity and enantioselectivity in homogeneous systems often decrease upon simple immobilization of the homogeneous meal complexes on surfaces. 

Direct air epoxidation of propylene to propylene oxide suffers from selectivity problems. Epoxidation by alkyl hydroperoxide, as practiced by Arco, is based on the use of Mo(CO)g as a homogeneous catalyst. The most impressive use of homogeneous catalysis in epoxidation, however, is in the Sharpless asymmetric oxidation of allylic alcohols. In view of its importance, this enantioselective reaction is included in Chapter 9 which is devoted mainly to asymmetric catalysis. 

The catalytic synthesis of an enantioselective product from a prochiral reactant is said to involve asymmetric catalysis and the catalyst is called an asymmetric catalyst. Asymmetric catalysis is found in homogeneous, heterogeneous and phase-transfer reactions. - ° This area of research gained a significant momentum after the award of a 2001 Nobel Prize to the researchers working on asymmetric catalytic chemical processes. - In the case of phase transfer catalysis, the quantitative assessment of rate enhancement is not carried out in any such catalytic reaction simply because the reaction system is just too complex for such effort. Almost all reported asymmetric catalytic reactions are involved with synthesis in which the main aim has been focused on the yield of enantioselective -zso... 

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