Recent advances in the asymmetric transformations of achiral cyclohexadienones

Enantioselective desymmetrization of prochiral cyclohexadienones and kinetic resolution of racemic cyclohexadienones are powerful strategies for the construction of enantiomerically enriched cyclohexanone-containing molecules, which are frequently found in bioactive natural products. Significant progress has been made in this research area in recent years, especially in transition metal catalyzed intramolecular enantioselective desymmetrization and asymmetric kinetic resolution aspects. This review provides an overview of the recent advances in this field, and briefly explains the remaining challenges and future perspectives.