Metalloenzyme-Like Zeolites as Lewis Acid Catalysts for C-C Bond Formation.

The use of metalloenzyme-like zeolites as Lewis acid catalysts for C-C bond formation reactions has received increasing attention over the past few years. In particular, the observation of direct aldol condensation reactions enabled by hydrophobic zeolites with isolated framework metal sites has encouraged the development of catalytic approaches for producing chemicals from biomass-derived compounds. The discovery of new Diels-Alder cycloaddition/dehydration routes and experimental and computational studies of Lewis acid catalyzed carbonyl-ene reactions have given a further boost to this rapidly evolving field.