Chiral phosphoric acid catalyzed transfer hydrogenation: facile synthetic access to highly optically active trifluoromethylated amines.

Amines to an end: highly optically active α-CF(3)-functionalized amines can be obtained using metal-free reaction conditions. The method involves the transfer hydrogenation of CF(3)-substituted ketimines catalyzed by 1 and reductive amination of CF(3)-substituted ketones. The synthetic utility of this method was demonstrated by the synthesis of a CF(3) analogue of NPS R-568. PMP=para-methoxyphenyl.