Design of Modified Amine Transfer Reagents Allows the Synthesis of α-Chiral Secondary Amines via CuH-Catalyzed Hydroamination

The CuH-catalyzed hydroamination of alkenes and alkynes using a silane and an amine transfer reagent represents a simple strategy to access chiral amine products. We have recently reported methods to prepare chiral amines with high efficiency and stereoselectivity using this approach. However, the current technology is limited to the synthesis of trialkylamines from dialkylamine transfer reagents (R2NOBz). When monoalkylamine transfer reagents [RN(H)OBz] were used for the synthesis of chiral secondary amines, competitive, nonproductive consumption of these reagents by the CuH species resulted in poor yields. In this paper, we report the design of a modified type of amine transfer reagent that addresses this limitation. This effort has enabled us to develop a CuH-catalyzed synthesis of chiral secondary amines using a variety of amine coupling partners, including those derived from amino acid esters, carbohydrates, and steroids. Mechanistic investigations indicated that the modified amine transfer reagents are less susceptible to direct reaction with CuH.