A chiral catalyst provides a handed reaction environment that can favour formation of one enantiomer. The competing substrate–catalyst arrangements are diastereomeric, so their activation free energies can differ.[ref]
Searching for New Reactivity by K. Barry Sharpless. Chiral ligand environments and catalytic asymmetric reactions
For two competing pathways obeying transition-state kinetics, . A modest free-energy difference can therefore produce a substantial product ratio. Reversible steps and product equilibration require additional analysis.
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