Enantiopure cis- and trans-2-(2-Aminocyclohexyl)phenols: Effective Preparation, Solid-State Characterization, and Application in Asymmetric Organocatalysis

Effective synthesis of cis- and trans-2-(2-methoxyphenyl)cyclohexylamine as well as their multigram-scale optical resolution by diastereomeric salt formation with dibenzoyl tartaric acid have been described. Assignment of absolute configurations to the enantiomers has been made by X-ray crystallography. Starting from the resolved precursor, diverse aminoalkylphenols (AAPs) having primary, secondary, and tertiary amine group as well as a quaternary ammonium phenol have been prepared as potential bifunctional organocatalysts based on the cyclohexane backbone. We furthermore report herein that AAPs carrying a primary amine and a phenolic hydroxyl group can catalyze the direct aldol reaction with high activity and setereoselectivity, and thus up to 97 % yield, 90:10 syn/anti diastereomeric ratio, and 80 % enantiomeric excess can be achieved.