Remote sulfonamido group enhances reactivity and selectivity for asymmetric Michael addition of nitroalkanes to α,β-unsaturated aldehydes.

Abstract

The pyrrolidine-camphorsulfonamide-based catalyst 1 a catalyzes the enantioselective conjugate addition of nitroalkanes to α,β-unsaturated aldehydes in the presence of five equivalents of water in iPrOH to give the corresponding chiral Michael adducts in good yields and high enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee) with a catalyst loading as low as 1 mol%.