Asymmetric catalytic reduction

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Asymmetric catalytic reduction is the use of various chiral catalysts to reduce a prochiral organic compound to obtain a chiral product. This is one of the several techniques used in chiral synthesis.

Typically, a transition metal is used with a bulky chiral ligand to such that the substrate molecule can only approach in a particular orientation. This causes an external reductant to reduce the substrate in a predictable fashion. Well-known examples include Knowles' ruthenium-based catalyst, similar to Wilkinson's catalyst, which reduces alkenes, and Noyori asymmetric hydrogenation catalysts using chiral BINAP ligands and dihydrogen to reduce ketones and alkenes.

Transition metal-free catalysts, i.e. organocatalysts such as the CBS catalyst based on proline used to ketones are known as well.

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v • d • e Concepts in asymmetric synthesis Nomenclature Chirality, Stereocenter, Stereoisomer, Enantiomer, Diastereomer, Meso compound, Planar chirality, Chiral ligand, Axial chirality Analysis Optical rotation, Enantiomeric excess, Diastereomeric excess, Chiral derivitizing agents Chiral resolution Crystallization, Kinetic resolution, Chiral column chromatography Reactions Asymmetric induction, Chiral pool synthesis, Chiral auxiliaries, Asymmetric catalytic reduction, Asymmetric catalytic oxidation, Organocatalysis, Biocatalysis