Nonradical Zinc−Barbier Reaction for Diastereoselective Synthesis of Vicinal Amino Alcohols

A new protocol for the synthesis of vicinal amino alcohols is described. The method employs a
Barbier-type reaction between an imine and 3-benzoyloxyallyl bromide in the presence of zinc metal. The
addition products are debenzoylated to afford amino alcohols in good yields and with diastereomeric ratios
greater than 85:15 in favor of the anti isomer. A Hammett study has been performed which strongly indicates
that the allylation does not follow a radical mechanism, but instead an organometallic reagent is formed
which subsequently reacts with the imine. A computational study based on this mechanism reproduces
the observed diastereoselectivity with high accuracy, but only when a sufficiently large portion of the substrate
is included.