Copper-Catalyzed Enantioselective Alkylation of Enolizable Ketimines with Organomagnesium Reagents

Abstract

Inexpensive and readily available organomagnesium reagents were used for the catalytic enantioselective alkylation of enolizable N-sulfonyl ketimines. The low reactivity and competing enolization of the ketimines was overcome by the use of a copper-phosphine chiral catalyst, which also rendered the transformation highly chemoselective and enantioselective for a broad range of ketimine substrates.

Keywords: Grignard reagents; alkylation; asymmetric catalysis; copper catalysis; enolizable ketimines.