Tuning the Enantioselective N-Acetylation of Racemic Amines:  A Spectacular Salt Effect

We have described a spectacular salt effect in the kinetic resolution of (±)-1-phenylethylamine, which leads to an increase in reactivity, high levels of selectivity, and a complete reversal of the stereoselectivity. By tuning the reaction conditions, we were able to increase the selectivity factor of (1S,2S)-1 to s = 115.