Thiourea and squaramide organocatalysts for the asymmetric total synthesis of natural compounds

Abstract

Thiourea and squaramide organocatalysts have become essential tools in asymmetric synthesis, offering metal-free, highly selective methods for the efficient synthesis of complex natural products with important biological activities. Through directional hydrogen bonding, these catalysts activate electrophilic substrates with remarkable stereocontrol. This short review highlights recent advances demonstrating the power of these catalysts in the enantioselective synthesis of intricate natural scaffolds.