Phthalimido-prolinamide: a new chiral catalyst for solvent free enantioselective aldol reactions

A new prolinamide derivative phthalimido-prolinamide 1 was developed for organocatalytic enantioselective direct aldol reactions of various aldehydes with ketones. The catalytic protocol is effective with 15 mol % of catalyst under solvent free and additive free reaction conditions. By employing a catalytic amount of water, the efficiency of the reaction increased further and the desired products beta-hydroxy carbonyl compounds were obtained in high yields and stereoselectivities. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.