Enantiomerically
pure alkylamines are pivotal structural elements
in a broad range of pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, natural products,
and chemical building blocks. The development of useful methodologies
for the preparation of these alkyamines is one of the central and
long-standing challenges facing synthetic chemistry. In recent years,
transition-metal-catalyzed enantioselective coupling reactions of
α-aminoalkyl species have emerged as appealing C–C bond-forming
approaches for the construction of chiral alkylamines. This useful
technique is remarkable for its substantial advantages in functional
group compatibility, substrate scope, molecular complexity, and synthetic
practicality, which provides complementarity and orthogonality to
traditional metal-catalyzed approaches to chiral amine synthesis.
This Review underscores recent advances in transition-metal-catalyzed
asymmetric alkylamine bond forming reactions organized by the type
of key α-aminoalkyl intermediates, including (1) couplings of
α-aminoalkyl-metal species, (2) couplings of α-aminoalkyl
radicals, (3) couplings of imines with carbon electrophiles, and (4)
couplings of enamines mediated by M–H species. In addition,
the synthetic practicalities of such remarkable tools have also been
highlighted by the total syntheses of selected natural and biologically
interesting molecules and the stereoselective assembly of challenging
target compounds.