Certain organic molecules are chiral – meaning that they are not superimposable on their mirror image. Chiral molecules contain one or more chiral centers, which are almost always tetrahedral (sp3-hybridized) carbons with four different substituents. There have been continuous efforts in discovering and developing synthetic protocols that aim at preparing useful chiral compounds in their enantio-enriched or even enantio-pure forms, in particular for pharmaceutical and agrochemical applications. One of the most effective methods for preparing chiral substances, in addition to racemic resolution (chiral resolution), is asymmetric synthesis. A variety of highly selective chiral catalysts based on Cinchona alkaloids have been developed for decades. The range of applications of these catalysts is enormous and includes more than 120 different reaction types.

Thanks to a newly created chiral catalyst database, it is now possible to search specifically for individual problem solutions. This database is free of charge and available to any interested chemist.