Photoswitchable Chiral Cation-Binding Catalyst: Photocontrol of Catalytic Activity on Enantioselective Aminal Synthesis

Design of a suitable photoswitchable chiral cation-binding cage for the synthesis of optically active aminals wasestablished using the azobenzene-BINOL hybrid oligoethyleneglycol (ABOEG) throughE/Zisomerization of the azobenzeneunit. Under photoirradiation, both the catalytic activity andenantioselectivity of the generating (Z)-ABOEG are enhanced, incontrast to that of (E)-ABOEG, which can be attributed to thegeometrically distinct coordination behavior between the metalcation and the oligoethylene glycols

Automated summary

Design of a suitable photoswitchable chiral cation-binding cage for the synthesis of optically active aminals was established through E/Z isomerization, resulting in enhanced catalytic activity and enantioselectivity.