ORGANOCATÁLISE ASSIMÉTRICA: EVOLUÇÃO E APLICAÇÕES COMPUTACIONAIS EM QUÍMICA ORGÂNICA SINTÉTICA

ASYMMETRIC ORGANOCATALYSIS: EVOLUTION AND COMPUTATIONAL APPLICATIONS IN SYNTHETIC ORGANIC CHEMISTRY. The use of organic molecules to catalyze chemical reactions was an important milestone in the long history of synthetic organic chemistry. These molecules, organocatalysts, can act in different ways, either by forming bonds with substrates or by non-covalent interactions. Important aspects of the mechanism of organocatalyzed transformations have been elucidated by combining experimental and computational studies. While the experiments provided the facts, the theoretical studies allowed them to be understood at a molecular level, while at the same time suggesting new pathways to investigate. The structural modification of these molecules makes it possible to precisely adjust the steric and electronic aspects involved in the selectivity of organocatalyzed reactions. The use of statistical tools has stood out as an efficient way of guiding these modifications. Here we present a brief history of organocatalyzed transformations, from the earliest reports to modern transformations, with particular emphasis on work that has used computational tools. We revisit the main elements of the study of reaction mechanisms by computational means, presenting an overview of the available tools and their domain of applicability. Finally, we discuss, using examples, fundamental questions about the use of statistical models to optimize organocatalyzed reactions.