Regulation of Chiral Phosphoric Acid Catalyzed Asymmetric Reaction through Crown Ether Based Host-Guest Chemistry

Supramolecular asymmetric catalysis has arisen from the in-depth intersection of supramolecular chemistry and asymmetric catalysis due to its unique advantages in building chiral catalyst libraries and regulating performance of catalysts. Herein, we combine crown ether based host-guest chemistry with chiral phosphoric acid mediated asymmetric catalysis to actualize the supramolecular regulation of catalytic asymmetric two-component tandem acetalization reactions. By comparison with the catalytic reaction without host-guest interaction, improvement of up to 72% in yield and increases of up to 13% in enantioselectivity were acquired after addition of the alkali metal guests, which demonstrated the great advantages of this supramolecular regulation strategy.

Automated summary

Supramolecular asymmetric catalysis is an important field that combines supramolecular chemistry and asymmetric catalysis. By utilizing crown ether-based host-guest chemistry and chiral phosphoric acid, the catalytic reaction can be regulated, leading to improved yield and enantioselectivity of the catalyst.