β-tert-Butyl aspartate as an organocatalyst for the asymmetric α-amination of α,α-disubstituted aldehydes

The enantioselective α-amination reaction of α,α-disubstituted aldehydes can lead to a variety of enantioenriched amino aldehydes, amino alcohols, and amino acids. After screening a variety of amino acids and their derivatives, we identified a cheap, simple, commercially available aspartic acid derivative that can catalyze efficiently the reaction between α,α-disubstituted aldehydes and dialkyl azodicarboxylates. The reaction proceeds smoothly leading to the corresponding α-aminated adducts in moderate to quantitative yields and moderate to high enantioselectivities (up to 96% ee). Finally, the conversion of these adducts to α,α-disubstituted quaternary amino acids is also described.