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Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Facile Preparation of (2Z,4E)-Dienamides by the Olefination of Electron-deficient Alkenes with Allyl Acetate
Published on: June 21, 2017
Iridium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of unfunctionalized enamines
Alejandro Baeza1, Andreas Pfaltz
1Department of Chemistry, University of Basel, St. Johanns Ring 19, 4056 Basel, Switzerland.
Abstract:
Optically active tertiary amines are readily prepared by iridium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of unfunctionalized enamines (see scheme). The best enantioselectivities with >90% ee were obtained with N-aryl- and N-benzyl-substituted enamines with a terminal double bond. The hydrogenation of enamines derived from cyclic ketones, which has not been reported yet with other catalysts, gave enantiomeric excesses of up to 87%.
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