Synlett 2013; 24(19): 2507-2509
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1340059
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© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Organic Superbases: The Concept at a Glance

Tsutomu Ishikawa*
a   Department of Medicinal Organic Chemistry, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo, Chiba 260-8675, Japan   Fax: +81(43)2262944   eMail: benti@faculty.chiba-u.jp
,
Laurence M. Harwood*
b   Department of Chemistry, University of Reading, Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AD, UK   Fax: +44(118)3786121   eMail: l.m.harwood@reading.ac.uk
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Publikationsverlauf

Received: 07. Oktober 2013

Accepted: 08. Oktober 2013

Publikationsdatum:
20. November 2013 (online)


This Cluster is dedicated to the memory of Professor Manfred Schlosser

Abstract

The term ‘super base’ is generally applied to ionic metal-containing bases that undergo irreversible proton abstraction. However, non-ionic powerful amine derivatives of amidines, guanidines, phosphazenes, and Verkade’s bases with comparable or higher basicity to that of 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene can all be arbitrarily classified as organic superbases. This Cluster contains manuscripts that present recent progress on organic superbases, including their applications in organic synthesis but, before proceeding, let us consider what class of molecule constitutes an organic superbase.