Synthesis 2008(17): 2825-2829  
DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1067216
SPECIALTOPIC
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart ˙ New York

Chiral Bifunctional N-Heterocyclic Carbenes: Synthesis and Application in the Aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman Reaction

Lin He, Yan-Rong Zhang, Xue-Liang Huang, Song Ye*
Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Laboratory of Chemical Biology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100080, P. R. of China
Fax: +86(10)62654449; e-Mail: songye@iccas.ac.cn;
Further Information

Publication History

Received 21 April 2008
Publication Date:
06 August 2008 (online)

Abstract

A series of chiral bifunctional N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) precursors with a proximal hydroxy group were smoothly prepared from l-pyroglutamic acid. Promising enantiomeric excesses (up to 44% ee) were achieved for the bifunctional NHC-catalyzed­ enantioselective aza-Morita-Baylis-Hillman reaction of cyclopent-2-enone with N-tosylphenylmethanimine.