Catalytic asymmetric reductive hydroalkylation of enamides and enecarbamates to chiral aliphatic amines

Abstract To increase the reliability and success rate of drug discovery, efforts have been made to C( sp 3 ) fraction avoid flat molecules. -Rich enantiopure amines are most frequently encountered as chiral auxiliaries, synthetic intermediates for pharmaceutical agents bioactive natural products. Streamlined construction aliphatic has long regarded a paramount challenge. Mainstream approaches, including hydrogenation enamines imines, C–H amination, alkylation were applied synthesis with circumscribed skeleton structures; typically, carbon centre was adjacent an auxiliary aryl or ester group. Herein, we report mild general nickel-catalysed asymmetric reductive hydroalkylation effectively convert enamides enecarbamates into drug-like α-branched derivatives. This reaction involves regio- stereoselective hydrometallation enamide enecarbamate generate catalytic amount enantioenriched alkylnickel intermediate, followed by C–C bond formation via alkyl electrophiles.