The latest issue of ChemComm opens with a feature article by Anton Vidal Ferran’s research group.This review deals with the most efficient reductive desymmetrisations of achiral and meso substrates. It also explores the structural diversity of the intermediates involved in this sort of procedures.As shown in the cover of the issue, desymmetrisation involves a symmetry breaking synthetic operation in which a chiral reagent or a catalyst provides enantiotopic group selection to afford the desymmetrised substrate.

Catalytic enantioselective reductive desymmetrisation of achiral and mesocompounds

Héctor Fernández-Pérez, Pablo Etayo, Joan R. Lao, José L. Núñez-Rico and Anton Vidal-Ferran
Chem. Commun., 2013, 49, 10666-10675