Catalytic C-C bond-forming multi-component cascade or domino reactions: Pushing the boundaries of complexity in asymmetric organocatalysis

The construction of carbon-carbon bonds, along with the creation of stereogenic carbon centers, continues to be an appealing and demanding area of research. Complex molecular architectures can be easily accessed from simple and readily available starting materials. These methods are highly valuable for the formation of chiral carbo- and heterocyclic compounds with multiple stereocenters that are relevant for the pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry and useful in the synthesis of various natural products. The benefits of organocatalytic cascade reactions include high atom-economy, reduced waste generation and synthetic efficiency. In addition, the frequent use of chlorinated solvents, the tedious purification of the products by column chromatography and the need to recover and reuse of a relatively large amount of catalyst used call for the design of improved, more flexible, and sustainable strategies in organocatalytic cascade or domino reactions.