HETEROCYCLES

■ Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Six-Membered Monocyclic N-Heteroaromatic Compounds

Atsuhiro Iimuro, Kosuke Higashida, Haruki Nagae, and Kazushi Mashima*

*Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-8531, Japan

Abstract

Six-membered chiral cyclic amines are important skeletal structures found in natural products as well as bioactive species. Asymmetric hydrogenation of six-membered N-heteroaromatic compounds is considered one of the most straightforward protocols for preparing six-membered chiral cyclic amines, because asymmetric hydrogenation is an atom economical reaction and applicable to industrial scales. In this review, we summarize the development of asymmetric hydrogenation of six-membered N-heteroaromatic compounds, such as pyridines, pyrazines, pyrimidines, and pyridones.