Highly diastereo-/enantioselective Cu-catalyzed propargylic alkylations of propargyl acetates with cyclic enamines

Highly diastereo- and enantioselective copper-catalyzed propargylic alkylations of propargylic acetates with morpholine-derived cyclic enamines for the construction of vicinal tertiary stereocenters have been developed. By the employment of a less sterically hindered chiral tridentate P,N,N-ligand, good to excellent diastereo- (up to > 98 : 2 dr) and enantioselectivity (up to 99% ee) could be achieved for a wide range of substrates.