Xin-Ning Wang

Ionic liquids have been utilized in numerous significant applications within the field of chemistry, particularly in organic chemistry, due to their unique physical and chemical properties. In the realm of asymmetric transition-metal-catalyzed transformations, chiral ionic-liquid-supported ligands and their corresponding transition-metal complexes have facilitated these processes in unconventional solvents, especially ionic liquids and water. These innovative reaction systems enable the recycling of transition-metal catalysts while producing optically active organic molecules with comparable or even higher levels of chemo-, regio-, and stereoselectivity compared to their parent catalysts. In this short review, we aim to provide an overview of the structures of chiral ionic-liquid-supported ligands and the synthetic pathways for these ligands and catalysts. Various synthetic methodologies are demonstrated based on the conceptual frameworks of diverse chiral ionic-liquid-supported ligands. We systematically present the structures and comprehensive synthetic pathways of the chiral ionic-liquid-supported ligands and the typical corresponding transition-metal complexes that have been readily applied to asymmetric processes, categorized by their parent ligand framework. Notably, the crucial experimental procedures are delineated in exhaustive detail, with the objective of enhancing comprehension of the pivotal aspects involved in constructing chiral ionic-liquid-tagged ligands and compounds for both scholars and readers. Considering the current limitations of such ligands and catalysts, we conclude with remarks on several potential research directions for future breakthroughs in the synthesis and application of these intriguing ligands.