Hydrogen Bond Assisted Asymmetric Metal Catalysis

Significance

By introducing a chiral hydrogen bond connector to an achiral ruthenium-porphyrin complex, asymmetric epoxidation is achieved with substrates that are able to plug to the connector in a controlled orientation. The reaction is highly regio- and enantioselective, because the hydrogen bond linkage is so rigid that the reaction only takes place at the proximal face of the double bond closer to the metal center.