This Concept article summarizes strategies and developments regarding the use of masked unsaturated esters/amides in asymmetric organocatalysis. Useful substrates are categorized by the design of their inherent carboxylate template. This template group not only enables their functionality as ester surrogates, but also define their accessibilities, modes of interactions with catalysts and the simplicity with which they transform back to the parent carboxylates. Both covalent and noncovalent catalytic systems are discussed and examples showing the entire process (from substrates-to-functionalized ester/amides) are given.
Keywords: bifunctional catalysis; enoate equivalent; hydrogen bonds; masked ester/amide; organocatalysis.
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