Bifunctional organocatalysts for enantioselective aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction

J Am Chem Soc. 2005 Mar 23;127(11):3680-1. doi: 10.1021/ja0500254.

Abstract

The efficient and novel bifunctional organocatalyst for the enantioselective aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman (aza-MBH) reaction has been established with (S)-3-(N-isopropyl-N-3-pyridinylaminomethyl)BINOL for the first time. The reaction proved to be deeply influenced by the position of the Lewis base attached to BINOL. The acid-base-mediated functionalities for the activation of the substrate and the fixing of conformation of the organocatalyst are harmoniously performed to promote the reaction with high enantiocontrol.