Lewis base catalyzed asymmetric reactions involving hypervalent silicate intermediates

The development of catalytic enantioselective reactions is a challenging area in synthetic organic chemistry. In the last decade, numerous chiral metal complexes, which act as Lewis acids, have been very successful. However, Lewis base catalyzed asymmetric reactions are also attracting attention. Recent developments in silicon-based chemistry have led to new asymmetric reactions, which involve so-called hypervalent silicates as intermediates, wherein new types of organocatalysts are often utilized as promoters. This review presents the progress in silicate-mediated asymmetric reactions catalyzed by chiral Lewis bases, particularly those based on various types of silicon Compounds.