Inherent chirality represents a distinct form of molecular chirality that does not fit into the four traditional types of molecular chiral elements, which has been observed in a diverse range of molecular structures. This review summarizes the recent advances in the catalytic enantioselective synthesis of inherently chiral molecules, including chiral calixarenes, saddle-shaped chiral cycles, mechanically planar chiral rotaxanes and others.

Abstract

Inherent chirality represents a distinct category of molecular chirality that does not fall within the traditional classification of four chiral elements: central, axial, planar, and helical chirality. While extensive research has been conducted on the catalytic enantioselective construction of these conventional chiralities, the corresponding synthesis of inherently chiral molecules has remained largely unexplored. This minireview provides a comprehensive summary of recent advancements in this field, focusing on the catalytic asymmetric synthesis of inherently chiral calixarenes, saddle-shaped tetraphenylenes and their heterocycle derivatives, mechanically planar chiral rotaxanes and chiral multilayer 3D frameworks, as well as our perspective in this field.