Catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation is an attractive technology for the large scale production of chiral molecules. It is environmentally friendly and allows access to both hands of a desired product with a 100% theoretical yield. Although catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation processes are commonly used for the preparation of chiral unnatural amino acids and alcohols, it's application to the preparation of chiral amines - at the exception of the celebrated Metolachlor process - has remained scarce. Prochiral precursors towards chiral amines, i.e. imines or enamines, are indeed challenging substrates for transition-metal catalysed hydrogenations, also due to the presence of a basic N-atom that can act as catalyst inhibitor.
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