A catalytic method for the enantioselective synthesis of α-tertiary hydrazines, pyrazolidines, and tertiary alcohols containing dialkyl-substituted stereocenters is disclosed. Reactions employ simple azoarene and nitrosoarene electrophiles and undergo Cu-catalyzed site- and enantioselective C-N or C-O bond formation. Utility of the approach is demonstrated through the rapid stereoselective assembly of substituted-pyrazolidine scaffolds and 1,3-diamines.
Johnson et al. (Fri,) studied this question.