Novel diamine ligands with spiro indane-2,2′-pyrrolidine scaffold were synthesized starting from Seebach’s oxazolidinone 6 and were subsequently employed in asymmetric Henry reaction. Following the initial experimental findings, further synthesis resulted in two types of spiro diamines, with varying substituents at both nitrogen atoms. Ligands of type A, containing a small substituent at N-1′ atom, and a large group at N-1 atom gave predominantly the S-configured β-nitroalcohol, while ligands of type B, with the reversed location of small and large substituents furnished the R-configured product. Both types of ligands turned out to be versatile catalysts for the Henry reaction between nitromethane and an assortment of aryl as well as alkyl aldehydes offering either S- (lig. A) or R-configured (lig. B) nitroalcohols in a good to high chemical yield and an excellent enantioselectivity up to 99% ee.

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