Enantioselective direct α-amination of aldehydes via a photoredox mechanism: a strategy for asymmetric amine fragment coupling.

The direct, asymmetric α-amination of aldehydes has been accomplished via a combination of photoredox and organocatalysis. Photon-generated N-centered radicals undergo enantioselective α-addition to catalytically formed chiral enamines to directly produce stable α-amino aldehyde adducts bearing synthetically useful amine substitution patterns. Incorporation of a photolabile group on the amine precursor obviates the need to employ a photoredox catalyst in this transformation. Importantly, this photoinduced transformation allows direct and enantioselective access to α-amino aldehyde products that do not require postreaction manipulation.