Round-the-ring catalysis makes cyclic peptides chiral
By 
Katrina Krämer2018-08-07T09:29:00
Classic hydrogenation catalyst installs multiple stereocentres one by one to create small amino acid rings as single enantiomers
A rhodium catalyst that can walk around a macrocyclic ring and create multiple stereocentres in a row could change the way chemists make cyclic peptides. The unusual mechanism was discovered in a hydrogenation catalyst that has been studied for half a century.