α-Chiral amides are common in pharmaceuticals,agrochemicals,natural products,and peptides,prompting the need for new synthetic methods.Here,we introduce a nickel-catalyzed asymmetric reductive amidation method to syn...α-Chiral amides are common in pharmaceuticals,agrochemicals,natural products,and peptides,prompting the need for new synthetic methods.Here,we introduce a nickel-catalyzed asymmetric reductive amidation method to synthesizeα-chiral amides from benzyl ammonium salts and isocyanates.The key to success is using a chiral 2,2-bipyridine ligand(-)-Ph-SBpy,enabling high yield(up to 95%)and enantiomeric ratio(up to 98:2 er)under mild conditions.Addition of phenol prevents isocyanate polymerization by reversibly forming a carbamate intermediate,enhancing selectivity and efficiency.The synthetic utility is showcased through transformations of the enantioenriched amides,and the mechanism and enantioselectivity are supported by experimental and computational studies.展开更多
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.22150410339,W2432012,22301233 and 22171218)the Ministry of Science and Technology China(No.wgxz2022188)。
文摘α-Chiral amides are common in pharmaceuticals,agrochemicals,natural products,and peptides,prompting the need for new synthetic methods.Here,we introduce a nickel-catalyzed asymmetric reductive amidation method to synthesizeα-chiral amides from benzyl ammonium salts and isocyanates.The key to success is using a chiral 2,2-bipyridine ligand(-)-Ph-SBpy,enabling high yield(up to 95%)and enantiomeric ratio(up to 98:2 er)under mild conditions.Addition of phenol prevents isocyanate polymerization by reversibly forming a carbamate intermediate,enhancing selectivity and efficiency.The synthetic utility is showcased through transformations of the enantioenriched amides,and the mechanism and enantioselectivity are supported by experimental and computational studies.