Abstract

Stereogenic units typically span a twofold number of possible stereoisomers and their configurations are assigned with binary stereochemical descriptors, such as (R) and (S). The

overall number of possible stereoisomers is thus commonly predicted by the Le Bel–Van ’t Hoff rule as 2 raised to the power of the number of stereogenic units, from which symmetric meso compounds are subtracted. This binary stereochemical conception of stereoisomerism represents the current realm of stereoselective catalysis and a wide range of bioactive compounds critical for our healthcare are elegantly prepared by controlling the configuration of the desired stereoisomers.

The aim of the presented research program is to catalytically control stereogenic units that encode more than two configurations. Besides the larger stereochemical space addressable by stereoselective synthesis, the conceptual interconnection between higher-order stereogenicity and conformational space is established. The talk will first provide a general background of our research on the catalyst-stereocontrolled stereoselective synthesis of atropisomers, connect to atropisomers with higher-order stereogenicity and expand the concepts to other stereoisomeric compounds.

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