AbstractA systematic investigation of chemically induced asymmetric photosyntheses has been carried ou in the helicene series. The following points have been examined: the influence of the nature and of the position of the chiral inducing group in the precursor, the influence of the structure of the precursor and the effect of a double induction. The best asymmetric stereoselectivities were obtained: (a) when the photocyclisation gave rise to a helicene skeleton substituted at position 1‐; (b) at position 2‐, when an ester of optically pure 2‐hydroxymethyl[6]helicene was used as the chiral inducing