Many naturally occurring biopolymers (i.e., proteins, RNA, DNA) owe their unique properties to their well-defined three-dimensional structures. These attributes have inspired the design and synthesis of folded architectures with functions ranging from molecular recognition to asymmetric catalysis. Among these are synthetic oligomeric peptide (''foldamer'') mimics, which can display conformational ordering at short chain lengths. Foldamers, however, have not been explored as platforms for asymmetric catalysis. This report describes a library of synthetic helical ''peptoid'' oligomers that enable enantioselective transformations at an embedded achiral catalytic center, as illustrated by the oxidative kinetic resolution of 1-phenylethanol. In an investigation aimed at elucidating key structure-function relationships, we have discovered that the enantioselectivity of the catalytic peptoids depends on the handedness of the asymmetric environment derived from the helical scaffold, the position of the catalytic center along the peptoid backbone, and the degree of conformational ordering of the peptoid scaffold. The transfer of chiral information from a folded scaffold can enable the use of a diverse assortment of embedded achiral catalytic centers, promising a generation of synthetic foldamer catalysts for enantioselective transformations that can be performed under a broad range of reaction environments.catalyst ͉ foldamer ͉ oxidative kinetic resolution ͉ peptoid T he unique capabilities of biopolymers, which stem from their well-defined three-dimensional structures, have been a source of inspiration for the design and synthesis of functional chemical systems (1). A variety of strategies have been explored for de novo construction of modular catalysts that enable chemical selectivity, regioselectivity, or enantioselectivity as a consequence of their structural organization. For example, synthetic peptides equipped with catalytic artificial amino acid groups or transition metal sites have been demonstrated to be effective enantioselective catalysts due to the proximity of the catalytic sites to the asymmetric environment created by their backbone (2-4). Similarly, it has been reported that nucleic acids can be used as chiral scaffolds for asymmetric synthesis and catalysis (5, 6). A recent investigation of DNA-based asymmetric catalysis relies on the noncovalent association of an achiral metal catalyst at unspecified sites along a DNA backbone, creating a chiral environment about the catalytic center that results in enantioselective transformations (7,8). Despite these advances, there remains a need for robust systems that permit rational design of versatile sequences and facile synthesis of libraries for high-throughput screening and optimization of catalytic performance.In living systems, biopolymer catalysts have evolved to accelerate specific biologically relevant transformations. In contrast, synthetic catalysts must often be designed for nonbiological transformations to be performed in abiotic solvents, pH regime...