Asymmetric catalysis: An enabling science

Chirality of organic molecules plays an enormous role in areas ranging from medicine to material science, yet the synthesis of such entities in one enantiomeric form is one of the most difficult challenges. The advances being made stem from the convergence of a broader understanding of theory and how structure begets function, the developments in the interface between organic and inorganic chemistry and, most notably, the organic chemistry of the transition metals, and the continuing advancements in the tools to help define structure, especially in solution. General themes for designing catalysts to effect asymmetric induction are helping to make this strategy more useful, in general, with the resultant effect of a marked enhancement of synthetic efficiency.