A C2-symmetric nickel diamine complex as an asymmetric catalyst for enecarbamate additions to butane-2,3-dione.

Butane-2,3-dione was activated towards nucleophilic addition of enecarbamates by a series of metal triflate complexes of a C2-symmetric diamine to give stereogenic, aldol-like, t-alcohols, a novel nickel(II) triflate complex was identified as a good catalyst for this asymmetric transformation, and an aquo nickel(II) complex was identified by XRD techniques.