Catalytic asymmetric reductive hydroalkylation of enamides and enecarbamates to chiral aliphatic amines
Jia-Wang Wang, Yan Li, Wan Nie, Zhe Chang, Zi-An Yu, Yi-Fan Zhao, Xi Lu, Yao Fu
Abstract
-Rich enantiopure amines are most frequently encountered as chiral auxiliaries, synthetic intermediates for pharmaceutical agents and bioactive natural products. Streamlined construction of chiral aliphatic amines has long been regarded as a paramount challenge. Mainstream approaches, including hydrogenation of enamines and imines, C-H amination, and alkylation of imines, were applied for the synthesis of chiral amines with circumscribed skeleton structures; typically, the chiral carbon centre was adjacent to an auxiliary aryl or ester group. Herein, we report a mild and general nickel-catalysed asymmetric reductive hydroalkylation to effectively convert enamides and enecarbamates into drug-like α-branched chiral amines and derivatives. This reaction involves the regio- and stereoselective hydrometallation of an enamide or enecarbamate to generate a catalytic amount of enantioenriched alkylnickel intermediate, followed by C-C bond formation via alkyl electrophiles.