Organocatalysis has inspired the development of main-group Lewis acid catalytic systems, enabling access to novel synthetic methodologies under mild reaction conditions. Silylium ion Lewis acid catalysis facilitates the activation of electrophiles thr...
Organocatalysis has inspired the development of main-group Lewis acid catalytic systems, enabling access to novel synthetic methodologies under mild reaction conditions. Silylium ion Lewis acid catalysis facilitates the activation of electrophiles through a paradoxical combination of a highly reactive silylium ion and an unreactive weakly coordinating anion, which is in situ generated from a bench-stable precatalyst (e.g., trityl tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)borate [Ph3C]+[B(C6F5)4]–). In addition, chiral organo-bismuth catalysis provides a promising platform for catalytic asymmetric transformations. Although a variety of ingenious Lewis acid catalytic methodologies have been developed over the past two decades, efficient synthetic transformations utilizing silylium ion- and chiral organo-bismuth catalysis still remain limited. This dissertation focuses on the development of organocatalytic methodologies involving silylium ion- and chiral organo-bismuth catalysis, along with associated mechanistic and synthetic investigations. These studies establish chemoselective C–N and C–S bond formations via non-asymmetric silylium ion Lewis acid catalysis, as well as the synthesis of compounds bearing carbon quaternary stereogenic centers through asymmetric synergistic organo-bismuth catalysis under “on-water” condition : (1) Synthesis of β-amino acids via silylium Lewis acid catalysis, (2) Silylium ion-promoted catalytic C(sp2)-SuFEx (Sulfur Fluoride(VI) Exchange) reaction, (3) Asymmetric multicomponent allylation via synergistic organo-bismuth catalysis.