Enantioselective addition of aldehydes to amines via combined catalytic biomimetic oxidation and organocatalytic C–C bond formation

The biomimetic catalytic enantioselective addition of aldehydes to amines is reported. This was accomplished by combining biomimetic coupled catalytic aerobic oxidation of amines involving ruthenium-induced dehydrogenation and organocatalytic asymmetric Mannich reactions. The novel one-pot reactions furnished β-amino aldehyde and α-amino acid derivatives in high yields with excellent chemoselectivity and up to >99% ee.