Recent progress on the construction of axial chirality through transition-metal-catalyzed benzannulation

In recent decades, due to the significant utilization and increasing requirements of axially chiral compounds, especially axially chiral biaryls, substantial efforts have been devoted to the synthesis of these compounds. Benzannulation, a method to assemble arenes through C–C bond formation from acyclic precursors, can meet the demands of broader substitution patterns and increase structural diversity. This highly convergent and atom-economical synthesis approach is also beneficial for the design, synthesis, and application of new axially chiral compounds. So far, only a handful of examples of organocatalyzed atroposelective benzannulation have been reported. Most benzannulation strategies for axially chiral biaryl synthesis rely on transition-metal-catalysis due to high catalytic activity and versatile substrate scope. In this review, we presented timely overviews of recent progress on the construction of axial chirality through transition-metal-catalyzed benzannulation.