Primary amino acids: privileged catalysts in enantioselective organocatalysis.

Despite the recent spectacular advances in asymmetric organocatalysis, proline and its analogues have been predominantly employed as organocatalysts in reactions utilizing enamine intermediates. Recent studies of enantioselective organocatalytic reactions promoted by primary amino acids and their derivatives are described in this account. The primary amino functions, rather than the secondary pyrrolidine moiety, have been shown to provide unique reactivity and stereoselectivity in asymmetric aldol and Mannich reactions.