The applications of electrochemical synthesis in asymmetric catalysis

Asymmetric catalytic synthesis is one of the most efficient methods to obtain chiral substances, which are ubiquitous in biologically active molecules. Various highly efficient synthetic strategies have been developed for synthesis of optically pure compounds. Over the past few years, organic electrochemical synthesis has received significant attention because cheap, safe, clean, and readily accessible electrons are employed as “traceless” redox agents. Asymmetric electrochemical synthesis is an emerging field that combines asymmetric catalysis and electrochemistry. In this review, we have summarized and highlighted the advances and breakthroughs of asymmetric electrochemical reactions mainly from three aspects: transition metal-catalyzed asymmetric electrochemical synthesis, organocatalyzed asymmetric electrochemical synthesis, and asymmetric bioelectrochemical synthesis.