Modularly Designed Organocatalytic Assemblies for Direct Nitro-Michael Addition Reactions

It's so simple! Organocatalysts formed through the self-assembly of simple α-amino acids and alkaloid thiourea derivatives (see scheme) are used as highly efficient catalysts for the direct nitro-Michael addition of ketones and nitroalkenes, affording excellent ee values up to 99 %. Enantioselectivity may be tuned by changing components of the self-assembled catalyst. Supporting information for this article is available on the WWW under http://www.wiley-vch.de/contents/jc_2002/2008/z803236_s.pdf or from the author. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.