Versatile In Situ Generated N-Boc-Imines: Application to Phase-Transfer-Catalyzed Asymmetric Mannich-Type Reactions

The efficient construction of nitrogen-containing organic compounds is a major challenge in chemical synthesis. Imines are one of the most important classes of electrophiles for this transformation. However, both the available imines and applicable nucleophiles for them are quite limited given the existing preparative methods. Described herein are imine precursors which generate reactive imines with a wide variety of substituents under mild basic conditions. This approach enables the construction of various nitrogen-containing molecules which cannot be accessed by the traditional approach. The utility of the novel imine precursor was demonstrated in the asymmetric Mannich-type reaction under phase-transfer conditions.