VIII
Preface
Although organocatalysis is still in its infancy compared to metalcatalyzed processes or enzyme-mediated transformations, there has been
tremendous progress within the last few years. New reactions have been
developed and applied for technical processes. Novel types of catalysts are constantly introduced expanding the scope of organocatalytic
methodology. Moreover, increasing mechanistic insights will help to further improve known catalytic transformations and to exploit reactivity.
The Ernst Schering Foundation workshop offered a broad overview on
organocatalytic processes, mechanisms and possible applications and
provided an outlook for the future establishment of organocatalysis
as a third important strategy in asymmetric catalysis, complementing
metal- and biocatalysis not only in academia, but also in industry. The
editors would like to acknowledge the generous support of the Ernst
Schering Foundation, which allowed us to set up this exciting workshop. We trust that the readers will share the enthusiasm and excitement
in the rapidly expanding field of asymmetric organocatalysis.
Manfred T. Reetz
Benjamin List
Stefan Jaroch
Hilmar Weinmann