Chiral bicycle imidazole nucleophilic catalysts: rational design, facile synthesis, and successful application in asymmetric Steglich rearrangement.

A new type of chiral bicycle imidazole nucleophilic catalyst was rationally designed, facilely synthesized, and successfully applied in an asymmetric Steglich rearrangement with good to excellent yield and enantioselectivity at ambient temperature. Moreover, it can be easily recycled with almost no reduction of catalytic efficiency. This is the first example for the successful chiral imidazole nucleophilic catalyst without H-bonding assistance.