Unlocking Multifaceted Chirality through Gold-Catalyzed Enantioselective Transformations

Chirality manifests in several forms in organic molecules, most commonly as central chirality arising from tetrahedral stereogenic centers, but also as axial, planar, and helical chirality, where stereochemical information is encoded in conformational or topological features. While asymmetric catalysis has long focused on central stereocenters, the controlled construction of more complex chiral elements is an emerging frontier.[1] Gold catalysis provides a privileged platform, combining π-activation with tunable chiral ligands, and has been exploited for central chirality,[2] while its application to axial, planar, and inherently chiral architectures remains less explored.[3] This work highlights the use of chiral gold(I) catalysts to access indole-based scaffolds with central or axial chirality and inherently chiral calix[4]arenes,[4] demonstrating the versatility of gold catalysis in shaping multiple chiral elements with high stereocontrol.