Enantioselective addition of aldehydes to amines via combined catalytic biomimetic oxidation and organocatalytic C-C bond formation

The biomimetic catalytic enantioselective addition of aldehydes to amines is reported. This was accomplished by combining biomimetic coupled catalytic aerobic oxidation of amines involving ruthenium-induced dehydrogenation and organocatalytic asymmetric Mannich reactions. The novel one-pot reactions furnished beta-amino aldehyde and alpha-amino acid derivatives in high yields with excellent chemoselectivity and up to > 99% ee. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.