Latest Research Discoveries | Liansuo Zu research group publishes “ Catalytic Enantioselective Aza-pinacol Rearrangement” in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed.
The first catalytic enantioselective asymmetric aza-pinacol rearrangement is reported. The reactions are catalyzed by a chiral phosphoric acid and proceed via a highly organized transition state involving a cyclic aza-ortho-xylylene intermediate to afford the indoline structures with good to excellent enantioselectivity. The synthetic utility of this method is demonstrated by the asymmetric synthesis of a key intermediate to the natural product minfiensine and the identification of a chiral lead compound to repress antibiotic resistance.