Enantioselective C–H annulations enabled by either nickel- or cobalt-electrocatalysed C–H activation for catalyst-controlled chemodivergence

Abstract Enantioselective electrocatalysis shows unique potential for the sustainable assembly of enantiomerically enriched molecules. This approach allows electro-oxidative C–H activation to be performed paired to the hydrogen evolution reaction. Recent progress has featured scarce transition metals with limited availability. Here we reveal that the earth-abundant 3 d transition metals nickel and cobalt exhibit distinctive performance for enantioselective electrocatalysis with chemodivergent reactivity patterns. Enantioselective desymmetrizations of strained bicyclic alkenes were achieved through C–H annulations. A data-driven optimization of chiral N , O -bidentate salicyloxazoline-type ligands was crucial…