This letter is dedicated to Prof. Hisashi Yamamoto on the occasion of his 80th birthday.
Bis(2-ethylhexyl)amine is shown to be a suitable organocatalyst to prepare racemic compounds in the reactions of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes involving an iminium ion, whereas diphenylprolinol silyl ether is a well-known chiral organocatalyst for the asymmetric versions of the same reactions. The generality and limitations of bis(2-ethylhexyl)amine are disclosed.
Key words
organocatalysis - racemate - diphenylprolinol silyl ether - bis(2-ethylhexyl)amine - α,β-unsaturated aldehyde - iminium ion