Thioureas carbohydrate-derived, activation

Aminothiourea-prolinal dithioacetal (234), in the presence of PhC02H, can catalyse Michael addition of ketones R CH2COR and aldehydes to nitroalkenes at 3 mol% loading to afford the 3yn-configured products with <99 1 dr and <99% ee under solvent-free conditions at room temperature. The related carbohydrate-derived thiourea is believed to activate both 8-diketones and nitroalkenes via coordination (235) the Michael adducts were obtained in <89% ee " Another variant of the thiourea motif with a cinchona alkaloid scaffold exhibited higher stereocontrol in the same reaction (<98% ee), carried out in MeCN at —40°C ... 

Miao, Chen, and coworkers have reported an efficient enantioselective Biginelli reaction catalyzed by a chiral bifunctional primary amine-thiourea derivative 43 with a carbohydrate in the catalyst skeleton and using an external Brpnsted acid in a cooperative way, with t-BuNH TFA as additive (Scheme 9.15) [54]. This protocol renders a wide range of optically active DHPMs 44 in high yields and with good to excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee). 

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