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Updated: Sep 19, 2025

Enzymatic Cascade Reactions for the Synthesis of Chiral Amino Alcohols from L-lysine
Published on: February 16, 2018
Iron-Catalyzed Enantioconvergent Amination of Alcohols
Fan Sun1, Bo-Xuan Yao2, Siyi Wang1
1State Key Laboratory of Advanced Fiber Materials, Key Laboratory of Science and Technology of Eco-Textile, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Owing to the prevalence of chiral amines in natural products and pharmaceuticals, we developed an iron-catalyzed borrowing hydrogen enantioconvergent amination of alcohols in the presence of chiral phosphoric acid. This protocol effectively converts a range of secondary alcohols and amines, tolerating numerous functional groups, including hydroxyl, cyano, ester, and boronate groups, into chiral amines with high to excellent yields (up to 99%) and enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). Notably, the compatibility with peptides, including di- and tripeptides, offers new possibilities for exploring chemical transformations in biological contexts. Mechanistic studies revealed a hydrogen-borrowing pathway, with DFT calculations further elucidating the crucial role of the chiral environment (pocket) in controlling enantioselectivity.
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