From asymmetric catalysis to bioinspiration in total synthesis

In contrast to common asymmetric metal catalysis using ligands with backbone chirality the application of P-chirality for efficient catalytic applications remains underdeveloped. We report here a new P-chiral ligand class and applications in asymmetric metal catalysis. Nature uses enzymatic catalysis to produce a vast diversity of secondary metabolites. We use this bioinspiration to transform Nature’s enzymatic pathways into feasible total syntheses of natural products, predominately complex alkaloids. This results in very short total syntheses and enables exploration of the chemical space and biological activities around them.