摘要：In order to develop an efficient organocatalyst for the enantioselective N–H insertion reaction via carbene/carbenoid, the catalytic core of the cinchona alkaloids was investigated. According to our working hypothesis of an eight-membered ring transition state in the N–H insertion reaction, two pairs of enantiomers related to 2-amino-1-phenylethanol were investigated for their chiral inducing potential. Since both (1 R ,2 S )-isomers gave the N -phenyl-1-phenylglycine derivative enriched in the R -form, while their enantiomers gave the S -form, the 2-amino-1-phenylethanol structure is concluded to be the catalytic core of the cinchona alkaloid in the enantioselective N–H insertion reaction via rhodium(II) carbenoid.
