Chiral ammonium betaine-catalyzed highly stereoselective aza-henry reaction of α-aryl nitromethanes with aromatic N-Boc imines.

A highly stereoselective aza-Henry reaction of α-aryl nitromethanes with aromatic N-Boc imines was established by using C1 -symmetric chiral ammonium betaine as a bifunctional organic base catalyst. Various substituted aryl groups for both imines and nitromethanes were tolerated in the reaction, and a series of precursors for the synthesis of unsymmetrical anti-1,2-diaryl ethylenediamines was provided.