Abstract
Highly enantioselective aminations of acyclic α-alkyl β-keto thioesters and trifluoroethyl α-methyl α-cyanoacetate (12) with as low as 0.05 mol% of a bifunctional cinchona alkaloid catalyst were established. This ability to afford high enantioselectivity for the amination of α-alkyl β-carbonyl compounds renders the 6′-OH cinchona alkaloid-catalyzed amination applicable for the enantioselective synthesis of acyclic chiral compounds bearing N-substituted quaternary stereocenters. The synthetic application of this reaction is illustrated in a concise asymmetric synthesis of α-methylserine, a key intermediate previously utilized in the total synthesis of a small molecule immunomodulator, conagenin.