Recent Progress in the Stereoselective Synthesis of (−)‐α‐Kainic Acid

Abstract (−)‐α‐Kainic acid, a unique group of nonproteinogenic amino acids, was first isolated from the Japanese marine alga Digenea simplex by Murakami et al. Due to its insecticidal activities and its neurophysiological activity in animals, it has attracted wide attention from pharmacists and chemists. Therefore, the synthetic strategies and methods have been developed rapidly. Combined with the strategies and methods of asymmetric synthesis, the research results reported in past decade were reviewed, including chiral pool synthesis, chiral auxiliary induced synthesis, and catalytic asymmetric synthesis.