Chiral 1,1′-binaphthylazepine derived amino alcohol catalyzed asymmetric Henry reaction

The catalytic asymmetric Henry reaction of nitromethane to various aldehydes has been developed using a chiral binaphthylazepine derived amino alcohol and Cu(OAc)2·H2O as the catalyst. High yields and good enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee) were obtained for both aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes. Moreover, this catalytic system also works well for the diastereoselective Henry reaction to afford the corresponding adducts in up to 95:5 syn/anti selectivity and 95% enantioselectivity.

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