Koki Matsumoto, Souto Kitazawa, Ryusei Matsumoto, Yoshitsugu Morita, Nobutaka Fujieda
-cymene)-cupin complex functioning as an artificial ketone reductase was developed through structure-guided engineering. Refinement of the primary and secondary coordination spheres based on a 1-His metal-binding motif enabled efficient asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of trifluoroacetophenone in water, affording up to 95% ee and 92% coupling efficiency.