Preface
Frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) have been a key factor in the renaissance of
main-group chemistry in the past few decades. Although it was known as early as the
1940s that steric hindrance could preclude Lewis adduct formation, it was in 2006
that Douglas Stephan and his team showed that combinations of unquenched Lewis
acids and bases could be used to split the H–H bond in H 2 . This discovery paved the
way for the FLP activation of a wide range of small molecules, including environmentally relevant gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
More pertinent to the Molecular Catalysis series is their extraordinary ability to
promote the catalytic hydrogenation of unsaturated organic substrates—a series of
reactions that were previously thought to be limited to transition metal compounds.
Perhaps one of the greatest contributors to the growing popularity of research
into frustrated Lewis pairs is their simplicity. There are innumerable combinations
of Lewis acids and bases that can be trialled, and these have unlocked a fantastic
array of reactions. A Web of Science search for the topic frustrated Lewis pairs
shows just how quickly this field has burgeoned. The very first citation to a published work containing this term was in 2007, and as we write this Preface on the 15
July 2020 there are almost 60,000 citations, with over 10,000 in 2019 alone. This
book follows on from the two FLP titles that were published in 2013 (subtitled
Uncovering and Understanding and Expanding the Scope), which were compiled
and edited by the two forefathers of FLP chemistry: Douglas Stephan and Gerhard
Erker. We have built on these foundations and attempted to collate and summarise
the staggering progress made in the research area of FLP catalysis since those
publications. We have by no means done this alone, and all the credit goes to the
amazing researchers from around the globe who have contributed chapters to this
book; we feel it really provides a summary of the state of the art in frustrated Lewis
pair catalysis.
Chapter 1 introduces the general topic of FLP catalysis and provides the context
for the ensuing chapters. Chapter 2 outlines the phenomenal progress that has been
made in recent years on asymmetric catalysis by FLPs. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 then
cover specific transformations carried out by FLPs, specifically the reduction of
carbon monoxide, the activation of C–H bonds and hydrogen activation,
v
Frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) have been a key factor in the renaissance of
main-group chemistry in the past few decades. Although it was known as early as the
1940s that steric hindrance could preclude Lewis adduct formation, it was in 2006
that Douglas Stephan and his team showed that combinations of unquenched Lewis
acids and bases could be used to split the H–H bond in H 2 . This discovery paved the
way for the FLP activation of a wide range of small molecules, including environmentally relevant gases such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides.
More pertinent to the Molecular Catalysis series is their extraordinary ability to
promote the catalytic hydrogenation of unsaturated organic substrates—a series of
reactions that were previously thought to be limited to transition metal compounds.
Perhaps one of the greatest contributors to the growing popularity of research
into frustrated Lewis pairs is their simplicity. There are innumerable combinations
of Lewis acids and bases that can be trialled, and these have unlocked a fantastic
array of reactions. A Web of Science search for the topic frustrated Lewis pairs
shows just how quickly this field has burgeoned. The very first citation to a published work containing this term was in 2007, and as we write this Preface on the 15
July 2020 there are almost 60,000 citations, with over 10,000 in 2019 alone. This
book follows on from the two FLP titles that were published in 2013 (subtitled
Uncovering and Understanding and Expanding the Scope), which were compiled
and edited by the two forefathers of FLP chemistry: Douglas Stephan and Gerhard
Erker. We have built on these foundations and attempted to collate and summarise
the staggering progress made in the research area of FLP catalysis since those
publications. We have by no means done this alone, and all the credit goes to the
amazing researchers from around the globe who have contributed chapters to this
book; we feel it really provides a summary of the state of the art in frustrated Lewis
pair catalysis.
Chapter 1 introduces the general topic of FLP catalysis and provides the context
for the ensuing chapters. Chapter 2 outlines the phenomenal progress that has been
made in recent years on asymmetric catalysis by FLPs. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 then
cover specific transformations carried out by FLPs, specifically the reduction of
carbon monoxide, the activation of C–H bonds and hydrogen activation,
v