Lithiation of N-Alkyl-2,3-diphenylaziridines: Solvent Effect and Diastereoselectivity

Significance

This study demonstrates a useful way of how the relative configuration of the phenyl substituents in N-alkyl-2,3-diphenylaziridines can be selectively changed or kept during lithiation. Since the cis-N-alkyl-2,3-diphenylaziridines cannot be directly lithiated, changing the configuration by the mere influence of the polarity of the solvent is of a high synthetic value.