New approaches to organocatalysis based on C–H and C–X bonding for electrophilic substrate activation

Hydrogen bond donor catalysis represents a rapidly growing subfield of organocatalysis. While traditional hydrogen bond donors containing N-H and O-H moieties have been effectively used for electrophile activation, activation based on other types of non-covalent interactions is less common. This mini review highlights recent progress in developing and exploring new organic catalysts for electrophile activation through the formation of C-H hydrogen bonds and C-X halogen bonds.