Enantioselective 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of Azomethine Ylides and Alkenes

Significance

Enantiomerically enriched polysubstituted prolines or pyrrolidines are important building blocks in organic synthesis, and they have an important role in organocatalysis. The most common synthetic route involves the asymmetric 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of azomethine ylides and alkenes, and many bidentate metal complexes have been developed for this purpose (see Review below). Herein, the authors report an extension of this work using a versatile monodentate phosphoramidite-silver complex to catalyze this transformation. The resulting product is obtained in excellent yields and selectivity.