A highly efficient asymmetric Michael addition of α,α-disubstituted aldehydes to maleimides catalyzed by primary amine thiourea salt.

The first highly efficient Michael addition of challenging α,α-disubstituted aldehydes to maleimides catalyzed by a simple bifunctional primary amine thiourea catalyst/benzoic acid system has been successfully developed to generate quaternary carbon centers in high yields (up to 99%) with excellent enantioselectivities (91-99%).