Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of Planar Chiral Pillar5arenes via Dynamic Kinetic Resolution

Pillarnarenes are a class of emerging supramolecular macrocyclic hosts that have attracted significant attention due to their intriguing dynamic planar chirality and unique cavity structures. In particular, the conformation of pillar5arenes can be locked by the introduction of bulky substituents or π-conjugated units at both rims, resulting in stable planar chirality. This strategy paves the way for the application of planar chiral pillar5arenes as versatile chiral molecular platforms. In recent years, planar chiral pillar5arenes have been widely applied in various research fields, such as chiral porous materials, chiral luminescent materials, and molecular machines. However, obtaining planar chiral pillar5arenes in enantiomeric forms remains a significant challenge. Recently, asymmetric catalytic synthesis via dynamic kinetic resolution (DKR) has proven to serve as a powerful tool for the efficient preparation of planar chiral pillar5arenes, which allows for achieving high levels of enantioinduction while producing a series of functionalized planar chiral pillar5arenes. This concept summarizes these achievements and highlights the design principles and key challenges, aiming to provide valuable insights for future research.