Metal-free asymmetric hydrogenation and hydrosilylation catalyzed by frustrated Lewis pairs

The metal-free hydrogenation utilizing molecular hydrogen is a challenging and unsolved problem. The development of frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) provides a novel access to the metal-free homogeneous hydrogenation. In the past several years, the hydrogenation of a wide range of unsaturated compounds using FLP catalysts has been successfully developed, and the asymmetric hydrogenation has also witnessed great progress. Similarly, SiH bond can also be activated by FLPs for hydrosilylation of ketones and imines. This Letter will outline the present progress of metal-free catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation and hydrosilylation using FLP catalysts.