Enantiospecific 1,3-hydrogen transfer of alkenes and alkynes

1,3-Hydrogen (H) transfer of alkenes and alkynes has emerged as an atom-economic transformation in organic synthesis. The reaction usually takes place under mild conditions, avoids the need for external additives, and accommodates a broad range of functional groups. Although 1,3-H transfer was first realized a long time ago, only in recent times have there been more comprehensive and systematic studies on their enantiospecific transformations. This review summarizes the recent advances in enantiospecific 1,3-H transfer of alkenes and alkynes for the generation of centrally and axially chiral molecules. Examples where the enantiospecific 1,3-H transfer occurs inside a tandem reaction system are discussed. This review could inspire more studies on the development of enantiospecific 1,3-H transfer for asymmetric chemistry.