Generation and utility of tertiary alpha-aminoorganolithium reagents.

A general approach to tertiary alpha-aminoorganolithium reagents by reductive lithiation of alpha-aminonitriles has been developed. This class of organolithium nucleophiles reacts efficiently with carbonyl electrophiles or in intramolecular cyclizations with tethered phosphate leaving groups. Transmetalation can be used to produce alpha-aminoorganocuprate reagents that react with alkyl halide electrophiles and in 1,4-additions with enones. These methods establish a new approach for the synthesis of quaternary centers adjacent to nitrogen. [reaction: see text]