Progress in Asymmetric Catalytic Synthesis of C-N Axis Chiral Compounds

Enantioenriched C-N axial chiral compounds are ubiquitous in many important field, such as natural products, chiral drugs and chiral ligands. Therefore, efficient construction of C-N axis chirality through asymmetric catalytic synthesis has attracted more and more attention and research interest. In this review, the recent progress in asymmetric synthesis of C-N axis chiral compounds has been discussed, mainly from three aspects: desymmetrization of prochiral molecules or kinetic resolution of racemates, atroposelective functionalization of C-N axis, and atroposelective C-N coupling reaction. The topic focuses on the evolution of asymmetric catalytic system and the key factors of chiral control. The existing problems and future development direction of this field are also discussed. This paper is a timely and systematic review and will stimulate more extensive research interest.