Ligands derived from carbohydrates for asymmetric catalysis

The selection and design of the chiral ligand is a necessary step in catalytic enantioselective reactions. Carbohydrate derivative ligands are preferred in a wide range of catalytic asymmetric reactions. A review is given on the use of carbohydrate derivative ligands in asymmetric catalysis in the most emerging period for this area of research (1996-2003). Focus is on those asymmetric homogeneous reactions for which research has been most active during this period and that have not yet been reviewed.