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Copper(II)-Catalyzed Asymmetric Photoredox Reactions: Enantioselective Alkylation of Imines Driven by Visible Light

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posted on 2018-10-16, 00:00 authored by Yanjun Li, Kexu Zhou, Zhaorui Wen, Shi Cao, Xiang Shen, Meng Lei, Lei Gong
Asymmetric photoredox catalysis offers exciting opportunities to develop new synthetic approaches to chiral molecules through novel reaction pathways. Employing the first-row transition metal complexes as the chiral photoredox catalysts remains, however, a formidable challenge, although these complexes are economic, environmentally friendly, and often exhibit special reactivities. We report in this Article the development of one class of highly efficient asymmetric/photoredox bifunctional catalysts based on the copper­(II) bisoxazoline complexes (CuII–BOX) for the light-induced enantioselective alkylation of imines. The reactions proceed under very mild conditions and without a need for any other photosensitizer. The simple catalytic system and readily tunable chiral ligands enable a significantly high level of enantioselectivity for the formation of chiral amine products bearing a tetrasubstituted carbon stereocenter (36 examples, up to 98% ee). Overall, the CuII–BOX catalysts initiate the radical generation, and also govern the subsequent stereoselective transformations. This strategy utilizing chiral complexes comprised of a first-row transition metal and a flexible chiral ligand as the asymmetric photoredox catalysts provides an effective platform for the development of green asymmetric synthetic methods.

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