Abstract
The rise of phase transfer catalysts(PTCs) in synthetic organic chemistry has been extended into asymmetric synthesis. PTCs function as a cation catalyst to bind anionic nucleophiles for reactions with electrophiles. Ion-ion and hydrophobic interaction between the catalyst and the nucleophiles are typically evoked to explain PTC-promoted catalysis. Seminal research in the field has indicated that π-π interactions between the nucleophilic substrate and the catalyst also have a substantial impact on the performance of a PTC. In order to gauge the effect of π-π interactions in PTC-catalyzed isomerization of N-benzyl trifluoromethylimines with PTC and non-PTC bifunctional catalysts, we examined the impact of changing the N-benzyl group in a trifluoromethyl imine. In addition, an attempted synthesis of α amino phosphonates is also discussed