Many biologically active molecules are chiral, meaning they exist in two mirror-image forms known as enantiomers. Often, only one enantiomer is therapeutically active or safe, while the other may be less effective or even harmful. Therefore, the ability to selectively produce one enantiomer with high enantiomeric excess (ee) is invaluable. Enantioselective catalysts enable the efficient production of these molecules with high precision and yield, reducing the need for costly and time-consuming separation processes.
