A RUDN University chemist revised the mechanism of the Henry reaction catalyzed by copper(II) complexes. Thus, using new copper(II) complexes obtained in the same laboratory, he showed that water plays a crucial role in the asymmetric Henry reaction, directly participating in the catalytic cycle of the reaction. Previously, this factor was never taken into account, and scientists thought that the copper(II) complex works as a classical Lewis acid.
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Source: Phys.org