The preparation of novel optically active benzylic amines by the enantioselective reduction of phenone oximes using chiral oxazaborolidine is described. The choice of the chiral 1, 2- amino alcohol (S)-diphenylvalinol as chiral inducer and that of the benzyl group for the O- oxime substituent is explained. 23 primary amines are obtained, with high enantioselectivity (ee= 98%), good yield (74%) on preparative scale. A mechanistic explanation is proposed.
[Brown, David S.; Gallagher, Peter T.; Lightfoot, Andrew P.; Moody, Christopher J.; Slawin, Alexandra M. Z.; Swann, Elizabeth Tetrahedron, 1995 , vol. 51, # 42 p. 11473 - 11488]