Copper(II)-Catalyzed Asymmetric Photoredox Reactions: Enantioselective Alkylation of Imines Driven by Visible Light

Asymmetric photoredox catalysis offers exciting opportunities to develop new synthetic approaches to chiral molecules through novel reaction pathways. Employing the first-row transition metal complexes as the chiral photoredox catalysts remains, however, a formidable challenge, although these complexes are economic, environmentally friendly, and often exhibit special reactivities. We report in this Article the development of one class of highly efficient asymmetric/photoredox bifunctional catalysts based on the copper(II) bisoxazoline complexes (CuII–BOX) for the light-induced enantioselective alkylation of imines. The reactions proceed under very mild conditions and without a need for any other photosensitizer. The simple catalytic system and readily tunable chiral ligands enable a significantly high level of enantioselectivity for the formation of chiral amine products bearing a tetrasubstituted carbon stereocenter (36 examples, up to 98% ee). Overall, the CuII–BOX catalysts initiate the radical generation, and also govern the subsequent stereoselective transformations. This strategy utilizing chiral complexes comprised of a first-row transition metal and a flexible chiral ligand as the asymmetric photoredox catalysts provides an effective platform for the development of green asymmetric synthetic methods.