Lanthanides Containing Multifunctional Heterobimetallic and Heteropolymetallic Asymmetric Catalysis

4 Lanthanides Containing Multifunctional Heterobimetallic and Heteropolymetallic Asymmetric Catalysis 

Although the development of a variety of Lewis acids has enabled the reahzation of a wide range of catalytic asymmetric reactions, most of the catalysts have limited activity in terms of either enantioselectivity or chemical yields. The major difference between synthetic asymmetric catalysts and enzymes is that the former activates only one side of the substrate in an intermolecular reaction, whereas the latter not only can activate both sides of the substrate but also can control the orientation of the substrate. If this kind of synergistic cooperation could be realized in synthetic asymmetric catalysis, it would open up a new field in asymmetric synthesis, and a wide range of applications might well ensure. In this section we discuss asymmetric two-center catalysis promoted by chiral lanthanide complexes with Lewis acidity and Brpnsted basicity [44,45]. 

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