Synlett 2005(4): 615-618  
DOI: 10.1055/s-2005-863709
LETTER
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Development of Chiral Catalysts by Asymmetric Activation for Highly Enantioselective Diethylzinc Addition to Imines

Hai-Le Zhang, Hua Liu, Xin Cui, Ai-Qiao Mi, Yao-Zhong Jiang, Liu-Zhu Gong*
Key Laboratory for Asymmetric Synthesis and Chirotechnology of Sichuan Province and Union Laboratory of Asymmetric Synthesis, Chengdu Institute of Organic Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, P. R. China, Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China
e-Mail: gonglz@cioc.ac.cn;
Further Information

Publication History

Received 26 December 2004
Publication Date:
22 February 2005 (online)

Abstract

Based on the asymmetric activation concept, a library of chiral zinc complexes in situ formed by the combination of diimines derived from chiral 1,2-diphenyl-ethanene-1,2-diamine, BINOL derivatives, and diethylzinc are evaluated in the asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to N-acylimines. In the presence of 10 mol% L3ZnA1, high enantioselectivities and yields were provided for a wide range of aromatic imines in 1,2-dichloroethane at -25 °C.