| Development of reactions catalyzed by N-Heterocyclic Carbenes (NHCs) has been a recent phenomenom in organic chemistry. We pursued this field to determine the broader applicability of these catalysts. Work preceding the commencement of our endeavors in the NHC catalyst field has been limited to the benzoin, Stetter and transesterification reactions and simple expansions around such reactions. We have contributed to the field of NHC organocatalysis by developing new reactions catalyzed by NHCs. We have shown that NHCs are able to catalyze redox esterifications and amidations with aldehydes containing an added reducible functionality within the compound. In addition, enals coupled with another aldehyde are shown to form gamma-butyrolactones via NHC catalysis. |
