Poly(methylhydrosiloxane)-supported chiral thiourea-based bifunctional catalysts

The design, the synthesis and the successful immobilization of a modified Takemoto’s catalyst is described. As support, poly(methylhydrosiloxane (PMHS) was chosen for its several positive features: it is a cheap, commercially available polymer, easily functionalized with simple experimental procedures. The PMHS-anchored enantiomerically pure bifunctional organocatalyst was employed in the stereoselective addition of activated carbon nucleophiles to nitrostyrene and its recovery and recyclability was preliminarily investigated.