Highly enantioselective nitroaldol reaction catalyzed by new chiral copper complexes

Remarkable generality in scope of DATs/Cu catalysts for enantioselective nitroaldol reaction is described; excellent levels of stereoinduction are recorded for a range of aldehydes (ee 81-99%, 17 examples) and the possibility to employ the present catalytic system as the key step for the preparation of highly functionalized tetrahydro-isoquinolines is demonstrate