Supramolecular bidentate phosphorus ligands formed by self-assembly of monodentate ligands containing complementary noncovalent binding sites have been attracting great attention recently. In contrast to the classical bidentate ligands, supramolecular ligands are greatly easy to prepare and modify as a result of the reversibility and selectivity of noncovalent interactions. Another important feature of supramolecular ligands is their huge potential to provide ligand library for combinatorial approaches and high throughput screening experimentation. The synthesis and application to asymmetric catalysis of supramolecular bidentate ligands formed by hydrogen bonding, coordinative interactions or host-guest interactions are reviewed.

Key words: supramolecular ligand, bidentate phosphorus ligand, asymmetric catalysis, hydrogen-bonding, coordination interaction, host-guest interaction