Iridium-Difluorphos-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of 2-Alkyl- and 2-Aryl-Substituted Quinoxalines: A General and Efficient Route into Tetrahydroquinoxalines

A highly efficient and general iridium-difluorphos-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of diverse 2-alkyl- and 2-aryl-substituted quinoxalines into biologically and pharmaceutically relevant 2-substituted-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoxaline units has been developed. High isolated yields and excellent enantioselectivities of up to 95% for 2-alkyl-substituted quinoxalines and of up to 94% for 2-aryl-substituted quinoxalines were obtained.