Dynamic Kinetic Asymmetric Ring-Opening/Reductive Amination Sequence of Racemic Nitroepoxides with Chiral Amines: Enantioselective Synthesis of Chiral Vicinal Diamines

We report a highly diastereoselective synthesis of vicinal diamines by the treatment of nitroepoxides with primary amines and then a reducing agent. When using a chiral primary amine, racemic nitroepoxides are transformed into chiral diamines as a single enantiomers (>95:5 er) through a dynamic kinetic asymmetric transformation (DYKAT). The overall process is a one-pot procedure combining the exposure of nitroepoxides to chiral amines to afford diastereomeric mixtures of aminoimines and subsequent stereoselective imine reduction