A designer axially chiral amino sulfonamide as an efficient organocatalyst for direct asymmetric anti-selective Mannich reactions and syn-selective cross-aldol reactions.

A direct asymmetric Mannich reaction using a novel axially chiral amino sulfonamide (S)-3 that is highly anti- and enantioselective has been developed. For instance, in the presence of a catalytic amount of (S)-3, the reactions between aldehydes and alpha-imino esters proceeded smoothly to give anti Mannich products with a significantly higher anti/syn ratio and enantioselectivity than previously possible. By utilizing N-Boc-protected aromatic imines instead of alpha-imino esters, the synthetically useful Boc protecting group and various aromatic or heteroaromatic substituents were installed into the anti Mannich products and consequently the substrate scope of the anti-selective Mannich reaction and the synthetic utility of the anti Mannich products have been expanded. The axially chiral amino sulfonamide (S)-3 has also been successfully applied to asymmetric direct cross-aldol reaction between two different aldehydes. The catalyst (S)-3 has the advantage of giving mainly syn products, whereas proline shows the opposite anti selectivity.