This letter is dedicated to Prof. Hisashi Yamamoto on the occasion of his 80th birthday.
Bis(2-ethylhexyl)amine is shown to be a suitable organocatalyst to prepare racemic
compounds in the reactions of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes involving an iminium ion,
whereas diphenylprolinol silyl ether is a well-known chiral organocatalyst for the
asymmetric versions of the same reactions. The generality and limitations of bis(2-ethylhexyl)amine
are disclosed.
Key words
organocatalysis - racemate - diphenylprolinol silyl ether - bis(2-ethylhexyl)amine
- α,β-unsaturated aldehyde - iminium ion