Supramolecular Polymers for Asymmetric Catalysis

This chapter discusses recent developments in the implementation of supramolecular polymers as catalysts for enantioselective reactions. It was demonstrated that the helical conformation adopted by a few classes of supramolecular polymers furnishes a stereo-discriminating environment for catalytic centers located at their periphery. Examples for which enantioselectivity stems exclusively from the supramolecular chiral nature of the polymers will be particularly emphasized as they represent a unique class of catalysts for which the catalytic efficiency can be directly correlated to the structure of supramolecular polymers. Original applications of these systems include the possibility to conduct asymmetric catalysis with a sub catalytic number of chiral inducers or with polymers devoid of chiral monomers as well as to design a new type of switchable asymmetric catalyst by exploiting their dynamic nature. These achievements constitute a foundation for further developments.