Rhodium-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Tetrasubstituted Cyclic Enamides: Efficient Access to Chiral Cycloalkylamine Derivatives

An efficient rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of challenging tetrasubstituted cyclic enamides has been developed, affording cyclic chiral amides with high yields and excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% yield and >99% ee). This novel methodology provides an efficient and concise synthetic route to chiral cycloalkylamines with two contiguous stereogenic centers. The potential utility of this protocol in the synthesis of bioactive molecules is also disclosed.