Synthesis of α-Aminophosphonates by Umpolung-Enabled Cu-Catalyzed Regioselective Hydroamination

A copper-catalyzed regioselective hydroamination of α,β-unsaturated phosphonates has been developed to form corresponding α-aminophosphonates of interest in medicinal chemistry. The introduction of an umpolung, electrophilic amination strategy with the hydroxylamine derivative is the key to achieving the α-amination regioselectivity, which is otherwise difficult under the conventional nucleophilic hydroamination conditions with the parent amine. Asymmetric synthesis with a chiral bisphosphine ligand and application to a related silylamination reaction are also described.