Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol.132, No.37, 12844-12846, 2010
Highly Efficient Iridium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Unprotected beta-Enamine Esters
A highly efficient and enantioselective hydrogenation of unprotected beta-enamine esters catalyzed by Ir-(S,S)-f-Bi-naphane complex has been developed. This methodology provides straightforward access to free beta-amino acids in high yields with excellent enantioselectivities up to 97% ee and high reactivities (TON > 5000).