Sequential reductive amination-hydrogenolysis: A one-pot synthesis of challenging chiral primary amines

Article abstract of DOI:10.1002/adsc.201100250

Difficult-to-access chiral primary amines were formed in good to high yield and ee using a rare example of a one-pot synthesis from prochiral ketones (sequential reductive amination-hydrogenloysis). As a highlight we also demonstrate a one-pot reductive amination-hydrogenolysis-reductive amination (five reactions) of ortho-methoxyacetophenone resulting in the chiral diamine 1-(2-methoxyphenyl)ethyl-(2-pyridylmethyl)-amine (4) (58% overall yield, >99% ee), a new organocatalyst for aqueous enantioselective aldol reactions. Copyright