Tunable Bromomagnesium Thiolate Tishchenko Reaction Catalysts: Intermolecular Aldehyde–Trifluoromethylketone Coupling

Applied knowledge: A new thiolate-catalyzed Tishchenko reaction inspired by biochemical processes features exceptionally good control over the catalyst's steric/electronic properties. The isolation of reaction intermediates provided valuable insights into the reaction mechanism, which in turn has allowed the development of the first cross-Tishchenko coupling reactions between aldehydes and activated ketones (see example).