A paper published in JACS by Prof. Kleij’s group has been recently highlighted in Synfacts (2017, 13 (1), 0043).

The paper, which was also among the most-read JACS papers in November 2016, describes the first general asymmetric synthesis of alfa,alfa-disubstituted allylic amines based on a palladium-catalyzed allylic amination has been developed. The protocol uses highly modular vinyl cyclic carbonates and unactivated aromatic amine nucleophiles as substrates. The catalytic process features minimal waste production, ample scope in reaction partners, high asymmetric induction up to 97% ee and operational simplicity.

Palladium-Catalyzed Regio- and Enantio-Selective Synthesis of Allylic Amines Featuring Tetrasubstituted Tertiary Carbons
Aijie Cai, Wusheng Guo, Luis Martínez-Rodríguez, Arjan W. Kleij
J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2016, 138, 14194-14197