Organocatalyst as a synthetic gadget for pharmaceutically potent molecules

Abstract

Organocatalysts have become a third main method of catalyzing chemical reactions aside from bio and metal catalysts. The potential for green chemistry and some striking benefits, including stability, low cost, easy availability, excellent enantioselectivity, and simple recovery, have made organocatalyzed reactions a fruitful approach. Recent developments in the field of organocatalysis include the enhancement of enantioselectivity, the development of novel catalyst classes such as NHCs, and dual catalysis, which combines organo- with metal or photocatalysis to enable novel reactivity. This review focuses on organocatalyzed chemical synthesis of pharmacophores such as benzoxazinones, pyrrolidines, triazoles, pyrazolinones, tricyclic coumarins, (+)-paroxetine, and (+)-femoxetine. The review has been outlined into six categories i.e. Lewis base catalysts, Lewis acid catalysts, Bronsted base catalysts, Bronsted acid catalysts, bifunctional catalysts, and organo-photocatalysts. Less reusability due to catalyst deactivation demands higher catalytic loading. Thus scalability in this field is still challenging. Moreover, achieving higher catalytic efficiency needs future efforts.

Keywords

• Organocatalysts
• Organo-photocatalyst
• Bronsted acid/base catalysis
• Lewis acid/base catalysis
• Drug candidates