Chalcogen-Chalcogen Bonding Catalysis Enables Assembly of Discrete Molecules

Despite the observation of noncovalent interactions between chalcogen atoms in X-ray crystal structures, catalysis that harnesses the power of such chalcogen-chalcogen bonding interactions to produce advanced molecules remains an unresolved problem. Here, we show that a class of extraordinary chalcogen-bonding catalysts enables assembly of discrete small molecules including three β-ketoaldehydes and one indole, leading to the construction of N-heterocycles in a highly efficient manner. The strong activation ability of these rationally designed catalysts provides a general solution to the intrinsic limitations of chalcogen bonding catalysis.