Enantioselective Henry Reaction Catalyzed by Chiral Piperazine Derivatives.

A series of novel tridentate Schiff bases is synthesized from piperazine-amine and substituted salicylaldehydes, and characterized by spectroscopic methods. These chiral ligands were used to catalyze the addition of nitromethane to various aldehydes in the presence of Cu(II) ions under ambient conditions in good yields (98%) and high enantioselectivities (9:91 er).