N,N'-dioxide-scandium(III)-catalyzed asymmetric Aza-Friedel-Crafts reaction of sesamol with aldimines.

A highly efficient aza-Friedel-Crafts reaction of sesamol with aldimines has been realized by using a chiral N,N'-dioxide-scandium(III) complex as the catalyst. A series of corresponding bioactive chiral α-amino-sesamols were obtained in moderate to good yields (up to 97%) with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 97% ee). Furthermore, the control experiments were conducted to provide fundamental insights into the mechanism of the reaction.