Blossoming of Polyenamine Catalysis in Asymmetric Synthesis: Scope and Future Applications

After the emergence of organocatalysis, the field of asymmetric synthesis has reached an exceptional level in this century. Asymmetric aminocatalysis, among other organocatalytic strategies, proceeded through LUMO-lowering iminium ion and HOMO-raising enamine ion activation has appeared as a powerful synthetic approach for realizing potential chiral building blocks from unmodified carbonyl compounds. Consequently, the concept of HOMO-raising activation strategy for a plethora of asymmetric transformations based on enamine, dienamine, and most recently trienamine, tetraenamine, and pentaenamine catalysis has been devised. In this mini-review article, we disclosed the recent progress accomplished in asymmetric aminocatalysis through polyenamine activation strategies for the functionalization of carbonyl compounds, and we covered the reports from 2014 to till date.