Dendrimer-Supported Catalysts for Organic Synthesis

Dendrimers are highly branched macromolecules with well-defined molecular structures and nanometer-scale dimensions. Dendrimer-supported catalysts behave homogeneously during the reaction, but most of them can be separated from the reaction medium via solvent precipitation. Their catalytic properties can be fine-tuned by adjusting the structure, size and shape of the dendrimers. In many cases, interesting dendrimer effects were observed, including increased or decreased the catalytic activity, stability and enantioselectivity. This review focuses on the recent decade of progress concerning the dendrimer-supported catalysts in the following reactions: (a) asymmetric hydrogenation and hydrosilylation; (b) asymmetric transfer hydrogenation; (c) carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions; (d) miscellaneous reactions.