Enantioselective Transition-Metal Mediated Dehydrogenation in the Gas Phase: From Model Systems Toward Real-Life Catalysis

Gaseous chiral metal complexes are proposed as model systems for the active catalysts in condensed-phase asymmetric synthesis. Mass spectrometry is employed for the generation of such species and, in combination with isotopic labeling, is used for the systematic investigation of enantioselective bond-activation processes in the gas phase.