NiH-catalyzed asymmetric hydroarylation of N-acyl enamines to chiral benzylamines.

Enantiomerically pure chiral amines and related amide derivatives are privilege motifs in many pharmacologically active molecules. In comparison to the well-established hydroamination, the transition metal-catalysed asymmetric hydrofunctionalization of enamines provides a complementary approach for their construction. Here we report a NiH-catalysed enantio- and regioselective reductive hydroarylation of N-acyl enamines, allowing for the practical access to a broad range of structurally diverse, enantioenriched benzylamines under mild, operationally simple reaction conditions.