Hydrogen bond-mediated organocatalytic enantioselective reduction of nitroalkenes in deep eutectic solvents

Abstract

The catalytic enantioselective reduction of β,β-disubstituted nitroalkenes was performed in deep eutectic solvents, avoiding the use of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as reaction medium. The desired enantioenriched nitroalkanes were obtained in high yields and high enantiomeric excesses, up to 90%, by a metal-free, hydrogen bond-mediated catalytic methodology, with a convenient experimental protocol that could be successfully applied to a gram-scale reaction.