Sequential Reductive Amination‐Hydrogenolysis: A One‐Pot Synthesis of Challenging Chiral Primary Amines

Difficult‐to‐access chiral primary amines were formed in good to high yield and ee using a rare example of a one‐pot synthesis from prochiral ketones (sequential reductive amination‐hydrogenloysis). As a highlight we also demonstrate a one‐pot reductive amination‐hydrogenolysis‐reductive amination (five reactions) of ortho‐methoxyacetophenone resulting in the chiral diamine 1‐(2‐methoxyphenyl)ethyl‐(2‐pyridylmethyl)‐amine (4) (58% overall yield, >99% ee), a new organocatalyst for aqueous enantioselective aldol reactions.