A straightforward synthesis approach to chiral 1-aryl-2-aminoethanols via the one-pot asymmetric hydrogenation catalyzed by Ir catalyst was developed. This tandem process involves the in situ generation of α-amino ketones via the nucleophilic substitution of α-bromoketones with amines and the Ir-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of ketone intermediates to provide diverse enantiomerically enriched β-amino alcohols. The excellent yields and enantioselectivities (up to 96 % yield and up to >99 % ee) with a wide substrate scope in this one-pot strategy were obtained.
Keywords: Iridium; amino alcohols; hydrogenation; one-pot synthesis; unsymmetric vicinal diamine.
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