Asymmetric catalytic Strecker reaction of N-phosphonyl imines with Et2AlCN using amino alcohols and BINOLs as catalysts

The asymmetric catalytic Strecker reaction of achiral N-phosphonyl imines with Et2AlCN has been established. Both free amino alcohols and BINOLs have been proven to be effective catalysts to afford excellent enantioselectivities and yields. The N-phosphonyl group can be readily cleaved under mild conditions and enable purification of crude products by simple washing with hexane. The cleaved N,N-dialkyl diamine auxiliary can be recovered quantitatively via n-BuOH extraction. The scope for both N-phosphonyl imines and catalysts was vastly studied for this new catalytic system.