Metal-Catalyzed Substrate-Directed Enantioselective Functionalization of Unactivated Alkenes

Alkenes are versatile compounds that are available on large scales in industry or through chemical synthesis. Selective functionalization of unactivated alkenes in a chemo-, regio-, diastereo- and enantioselective fashion is a highly sought-after goal in organic synthesis. Substrate-directed enantioselective functionalization of unactivated alkenes provides an important strategy to achieve this goal. Using a functional group on the alkene substrate as a native coordinating group, a two-point binding mode of the substrate to the metal center enables effective control of regio-, diastereo- and enantioselectivities. Through this strategy, a variety of enantioselective functionalization methods have been developed recently. The recent advances in this area are highlighted here.