Cavity-shaped ligands for asymmetric metal catalysis

[Display omitted] •Enantiopure cavity-shaped ligands can act as rigid platforms for efficient chelation and stereodifferentiation.•Enantiopure cavity-shaped ligands can provide a chiral environment all around the catalytic metal center for effective enantioselectivity.•Encapsulation of metals within chiral cavity-shaped ligands is reminiscent of metalloenzymes.•Chiral cavity-shaped ligands are often based on calixarenes, cyclodextrins, metallocages and supramolecular assemblies. Cavity-shaped ligands offer unique opportunities for influencing the first sphere of coordination of metals because of their capacity to act as containers for metal centers and/or preorganization platforms. These unique properties are of particular importance in asymmetric metal catalysis where spatial control around the coordinated substrate is of paramount importance for reaching high ee values. This perspective article describes the different approaches, whether covalent or supramolecular, that have so far been used for achieving enantiodiscrimination in asymmetric metal-catalyzed reactions thanks to metal complexation within or near chiral capsular environments.