Designing Safer Organocatalysts — What Lessons Can Be Learned When the Rebirth of an Old Research Area Coincides with the Advent of Green Chemistry?

The sections in this article are Introduction A Brief History of Organocatalysis Pre-1950s: From Humble Beginnings 1950s–1960s 1970s: Organocatalysis Begins in Earnest 1980s 1990s 2000–Present Advantages of Organocatalysts Catalysts from the Chiral Pool “Rules of Thumb” for Small Molecule Biodegradability Applied to Organocatalysts Selecting Simple Guidelines for Biodegradability Process of Catalyst Development Analogy Between Organocatalyst Development and Drug Design Analogs of Nornicotine – an Aldol Catalyst Exemplifying “Natural” Toxicity Pharmaceutically Derived Organocatalysts and the Role of Cocatalysts Criteria to Assess the Environmental Impact of an Organocatalyst Conclusion Summary Acknowledgements Keywords: organocatalysts; biodegradation; toxicity; safer chemicals; green chemistry