In nature, enzymes can orchestrate the combination of several different catalytic species, but mimicking this with synthetic catalysts is often problematic due to undesirable interactions between the catalysts. Here, an N-heterocyclic carbene and a Lewis acid cooperate to catalyse the efficient formation of γ-lactams.
- Dustin E. A. Raup
- Benoit Cardinal-David
- Karl A. Scheidt
