Effect of ligand N,N-substituents on the reactivity of chiral copper(II) salalen, salan, and salalan complexes toward asymmetric nitroaldol reactions

The synthesis and effect of ligand N,N-substituents on the reactivity of chiral copper(II) salalen, salan, and salalan complexes toward nitroaldol reactions of nitromethane with various aldehydes have been described. The salan complexes exhibit superior results compared to the salalen and salalan complexes; the nature of the N,N-substituents is crucial for the enantioselectivity of the target nitroaldol products.