Bifunctional organo/metal cooperative catalysis with cinchona alkaloid scaffolds

Cooperative catalysis, inspired by the early findings on enzymatic activation, is a fast growing research area. It refers to the combination of two or more catalytic species that operate together within the same molecular environment to achieve an overall transformation via mutual activation of reaction partners. In this field, cinchona derived scaffolds play a major role. Their combination with a wide range of metal ions and complexes has led to the development of unprecedented transformations in terms or reactivity and stereocontrol. This review discusses recent developments (the last 10 years) in the field of cooperative catalysis using cinchona alkaloid derivatives in combination with metal ions, highlighting the potential of this new research area and the many challenges that still remain for the future.