Catalytic and enantioselective aza-ene and hetero-Diels-Alder reactions of alkenes and dienes with azodicarboxylates.

Lewis acids such as Cu(OTf)(2), Zn(OTf)(2), Yb(OTf)(3) and Nd(OTf)(3) catalyze the aza-ene reaction of alkenes with azodicarboxylates, giving the allylic amination adducts. The use of bis(2,2,2-trichloroethyl)azodicarboxylate as the amination reagent and Cu(OTf)(2) and Yb(OTf)(3) as the catalysts gave the aza-ene reaction of different alkenes, leading to the corresponding allyl amines in high yields. Chiral copper complexes prepared from Cu(OTf)(2) and chiral bisoxazoline ligands were found to catalyze the enantioselective aza-ene reaction of azodicarboxylates with alkenes and the hetero-Diels-Alder reaction with cyclopentadiene, giving the corresponding aza-ene- and hetero-Diels-Alder adducts, respectively, in good yields and moderate enantioselectivities.