Chiral Thioureas—Preparation and Significance in Asymmetric Synthesis and Medicinal Chemistry

Abstract

For almost 20 years, thioureas have been experiencing a renaissance of interest with the emerged development of asymmetric organocatalysts. Due to their relatively high acidity and strong hydrogen bond donor capability, they differ significantly from ureas and offer, appropriately modified, great potential as organocatalysts, chelators, drug candidates, etc. The review focuses on the family of chiral thioureas, presenting an overview of the current state of knowledge on their synthesis and selected applications in stereoselective synthesis and drug development.

Keywords

• asymmetric synthesis
• chirality
• isothiocyanates
• organocatalysis
• stereoselectivity
• thioureas