Asymmetric transfer hydrogenations of β-N-substituted enamino esters with ammonia borane

Abstract Optically active β-amino acids and their derivatives are very useful building blocks in synthetic and medicinal chemistry. The catalytic asymmetric reduction of β-enamino esters is one of the most efficient approaches for their synthesis. Ammonia borane with low molecular weight, high hydrogen capacity, and good stability, is an ideal hydrogen source for the transfer hydrogenation. However, only a few successful examples have been reported for the asymmetric reduction with ammonia borane. In this work, an asymmetric metal-free transfer hydrogenation of β- N -substituted enamino esters with ammoinia borane was successfully realized by using a frustrated Lewis pair of Piers’ borane and ( S )- tert -butylsulfinamide as a chiral catalyst. A variety of β-amino acid derivatives were obtained in 51–90% yields with up to 91% ee.