Dynamic Kinetic Asymmetric Amination of Alcohols Assisted by Microwave: Stereoconvergent Access to Tetralin- and Indane-Derived Chiral Amines

Herein,
we report microwave-assisted catalytic enantioselective
amination of tetralin- and Indane-derived alcohols to produce the
corresponding chiral amines that are important structural motifs in
numerous biologically active entities. By the use of an iridium/phosphoric
acid cooperative catalytic system, a range of easily accessible alcohol
substrates, as a mixture of four stereoisomers, can be converted in
a convergent fashion to the valuable α-branched chiral amines
with good to high diastereo- and enantioselectivity. Systematic DFT
calculations on the catalytic reaction have also been performed, which
provide a complete picture of the pathways as well as the origin of
diastereo- and enantioselectivity for this dynamic kinetic asymmetric
amination of alcohols.