The asymmetric power of chiral ligands determined by competitive asymmetric autocatalysis.

Asymmetric autocatalytic reactions were initiated by using two competing chiral ligands bearing opposite configurations. The absolute configuration of the resulting highly enantioenriched product reflects the different efficiencies of the two catalysts. Thus, our method provides a simple and efficient way to compare the asymmetric power of chiral ligands for enantioselective catalysis both qualitatively and quantitatively.