Dedicated to Professor Steven V. Ley on the occasion of his 70th birthday
The enantioselective phospha-Mannich reaction of diethyl phosphite to unactivated
N-DPP-protected ketimines catalyzed by a bifunctional iminophosphorane (BIMP) superbase
organocatalyst is described. The reaction is applicable to ketimines bearing electron-rich
and electron-poor aryl substituents and occurs with excellent yields and moderate
enantioselectivities under mild reaction conditions.
Key words
asymmetric catalysis - bifunctional organocatalysis - phospha-Mannich - ketimine -
superbase