Catalysis plays an important role in our world. From drug synthesis to polymer production, the use of catalysts allows society to improve the quality of life. Two important classes of catalysts are based on anions, and phosphoramides. Anionic catalysts play a large role in organic chemistry. The tungstate anion, for example, is an extremely effective catalyst for the epoxidation of electron-deficient olefins, such as allyl alcohol, and allyl-unsaturated acids. A tungsten-containing anionic cluster has also been found to be a useful reusable heterogenous catalyst for the Michael addition of thiols to allyl-unsaturated ketones.