Recent Progress in (Dynamic) Kinetic Resolution Catalyzed by N-Heterocyclic Carbenes

Catalytic kinetic resolution is often the “method of choice” for the preparation of optically enriched functionalized compounds and, over the past decade, kinetic resolutions and dynamic kinetic resolutions catalyzed by N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) have been employed for the synthesis of a variety of optically enriched functionalized molecules. Herein we provide an overview of reported NHC-catalyzed kinetic resolutions in terms of the structure of the substrate, the reaction type, and the activation mode. This Focus Review is arranged according to the structure of the racemic compounds and includes the kinetic resolution of alcohols, amines, imines, and aldehydes, as well as dynamic kinetic resolution. In each section, the activation mode and reaction mechanism are discussed. We conclude with a summary of the current state-of-play in NHC-catalyzed kinetic resolution and provide an outlook for the development of this field in the future.