Chiral 4-dimethylaminopyridine (DMAP) derivatives have been employed in catalytic asymmetric reactions as chiral nucleophilic catalysts with excellent activity and enantioselectivity. At present, study on the applications of chiral DMAP derivatives has been regarded as one of the most remarkable fields in catalytic asymmetric reactions. This review describes the development of chiral DMAP derivatives in recent years.

Key words: chiral DMAP, nucleophilic catalyst, catalytic asymmetric reaction