Nature Chemistry 7, 842 (2015). doi:10.1038/nchem.2337
Authors: Chang Guo, Mirco Fleige, Daniel Janssen-Müller, Constantin G. Daniliuc & Frank Glorius
Catalysis with N-heterocyclic carbenes produces diverse outcomes depending on which of the many possible reaction mechanisms dominates. Control of this reactivity within a single reaction type has rarely been demonstrated. Now, starting from identical substrates, a switchable catalytic activation is shown to afford different products with high regio- and stereoselectivity.
