Selective and Catalytic Hydrocarboxylation of Enamides and Imines with CO to Generate α,α-Disubstituted α-Amino Acids.

The first catalytic hydrocarboxylation of enamides and imines with CO to generate valuable α,α-disubstituted α-amino acids is reported. Notably, excellent chemo- and regio-selectivity are achieved, significantly different from previous reports on β-carboxylation of enamides, homocoupling or reduction of imines. Moreover, this transition-metal-free procedure exhibits low loading of an inexpensive catalyst, easily available substrates, mild reaction conditions, high efficiency, facile scalability and easy product derivatization, providing great potential for application in organic synthesis, pharmaceutical chemistry, and biochemistry.