The first example of an enatioselective nitroaldol reaction was reported in 1992 using Shibasaki catalysts. One of the most frequently employed ways to induce enantio- or diastereoselectivity in the Henry reaction has been through the use of chiral metal catalysts in which the nitro group and carbonyl oxygen coordinate to a metal that is bound to a chiral organic molecule. Some examples of metals that have been used include Zn, Co, Cu, Mg, and Cr. A depiction of this coordination is illustrated above.