A Knoevenagel Reaction is a condensation between an aldehyde or a ketone with an active hydrogen compound in the presence of a basic catalyst to yield α,β-unsaturated compounds. In 2011, Benjamin List (Nobel Prize 2021 in Chemistry) and co-workers published the first asymmetric example of a Knoevenagel condensation that proceeds through a dynamic kinetic resolution of α-branched aldehydes using a 9-Epiamino Cinchona alkaloid catalyst. 9-Epiamino Cinchona alkaloids, and their derivatives are excellent organocatalysts in a huge variety of asymmetric synthesis.

Knoevenagel reaction examples catalyzed by cinchona alkaloid derivatives can be found in our free of charge Chiral Catalyst Search Data Base.

Example from Literature

The Catalytic Asymmetric Knoevenagel Condensation. (List et al.; Angew. Chem.Int. Ed. 2011, 50(7), 1707-1710.)