Light-enabled deracemization of cyclopropanes by Al-salen photocatalysis

Privileged chiral catalysts—those that share common structural features and are enantioselective across a range of reactions—continue to transform the chemical-research landscape(1). In recent years, new reactivity modes have been achieved through excited-state catalysis, processes activated by light, but it is unclear if the selectivity of ground-state privileged catalysts can be matched. Although the interception of photogenerated intermediates by ground-state cycles has partially addressed this challenge(2), single, chiral photocatalysts that simultaneously regulate reactivity and selectivity are conspicuously scarce(3). So far, precision donor–acceptor recognition motifs remain crucial in enantioselective photocatalyst design(4). Here we show that chiral Al-salen complexes, which have well-defined photophysical properties, can be used for the efficient photochemical deracemization(5) of cyclopropyl ketones (up to 98:2 enantiomeric ratio (e.r.)). Irradiation at λ = 400 nm (violet light) augments the reactivity of the commercial catalyst to enable reactivity and enantioselectivity to be regulated simultaneously. This circumvents the need for tailored catalyst–substrate recognition motifs. It is predicted that this study will stimulate a re-evaluation of many venerable (ground-state) chiral catalysts in excited-state processes, ultimately leading to the identification of candidates that may be considered ‘privileged’ in both reactivity models.