Recognition and activation by ureas and thioureas: stereoselective reactions using ureas and thioureas as hydrogen-bonding donors

Hydrogen-bonding interaction plays a crucial role in the molecular recognition and activation processes of various biologically important reactions that are mediated by enzymes and antibodies in living organisms. Recently, it has been shown that a hydrogen-bonding donor can be used as a general acid catalyst for various types of reactions in organic chemistry. In this article, we describe enantioselective reactions catalyzed by urea and thiourea derivatives as general acid catalysts as well as diastereoselective reactions. This perspective provides an overview of this rapidly growing field.