Diastereoselective and Enantioselective Nickel-Catalyzed Reductive Coupling of Imines and Unactivated Alkenes

Herein we report a method for highly diastereoselective and enantioselective nickel-catalyzed reductive coupling of imines and unactivated alkenes. A monodentate chiral spiro phosphoramidite ligand is the key to controlling the enantioselectivity. This efficient, straightforward method allows for the construction of chiral benzocyclic and indole-fused cyclic amines with two contiguous stereogenic centers in good yields from readily accessible starting materials.