Highly enantioselective rhodium-catalyzed hydrogenation of beta-dehydroamino acid derivatives using monodentate phosphoramidites.

New and very easily accessible monodentate phosphoramidite ligands have been developed that lead to excellent ee's and full conversions in the hydrogenation of (E)- and (Z)-beta-dehydroamino acid derivatives with both aliphatic and aromatic side chains. Particularly, two different catalytic systems were established for (E)-beta-(acylamino)acrylates (98-99% ee) and (Z)-beta-(acylamino)acrylates (92-95% ee) based on phosphoramidites 2 and 3, respectively.