Bifunctional Sulfonamide as Hydrogen Bonding Catalyst in Catalytic Asymmetric Reactions: Concept and Application in the Past Decade

Since the first report of bifunctional sulfonamide organocatalysts in 2004, these chiral compounds have proven to be a reliable hydrogen‐bonding catalyst and have been wildly employed in asymmetric organocatalysis due to its strong acidity and self‐aggregation‐free property. Herein, we review the application of bifunctional sulfonamide as hydrogen‐bonding catalyst after 2011, and our highlights will cover asymmetric process including aldol reaction, Michael addition, Mannich reaction, desymmetrization and cyclization. Bifunctional sulfonamides are powerful H‐bonding catalysts in asymmetric organocatalysis due to their strong acidity and self‐aggregation‐free property. In this article, we tried to summarize bifunctional sulfonamides used as H‐bonding catalysts in various asymmetric processes reported after 2011. The performances of these catalysts in asymmetric reaction including their catalytic activity, enantioselectivity and diastereoselectivity were reviewed.