Controlled diastereo- and enantioselection in a catalytic asymmetric aziridination

Chiral polyborate based Brønsted acids prepared from the VANOL and VAPOL ligands are known to catalyze the reaction of diarylmethyl imines with diazoesters to give cis-aziridines. In the present work, this same catalyst is shown to catalyze the reaction of the same imines with diazoacetamides to give trans-aziridines with the same high asymmetric inductions as seen with cis-aziridines, enabling the development of an unprecedented universal catalytic asymmetric aziridination protocol. The substrate scope is broad and includes imines prepared from both electron-rich and electron-poor aromatic aldehydes and also from 1°, 2°, and 3° aliphatic aldehydes. The face selectivity of the addition to the imine was found to be independent of the diazo compounds. The (S)-VANOL or (S)-VAPOL derived catalyst will cause both diazoesters and diazoacetamides to add to the Si-face of the imine when cis-aziridines are formed and both to add to the Re-face of the imine when trans-aziridines are formed.