Carbonyl catalysis enables a biomimetic asymmetric Mannich reaction

Inspiration from a vitamin Organic synthesis of molecules with defined stereochemistry requires a chiral center, which in turn may involve a chiral catalyst. Chen et al. developed an organic catalyst, modeled on vitamin B6, which contains an electron-withdrawing pyridine ring adjacent to an aldehyde group. This catalyst works like the vitamin by reacting with an amine, a derivative of the amino acid glycine, to create an activated species. An appendage on the catalyst coordinates the subsequent reactions, allowing for stereoselective formation of a product with two adjacent amines. Science , this issue p. 1438