A highly enantioselective synthesis of cyclic alpha-amino acids involving a one-pot, single catalyst, tandem hydrogenation-hydroformylation sequence

Tandem enantioselective hydrogenation followed by a hydroformylation-cyclisation sequence leading to cyclic alpha-amino acids with ee's > 95% can be achieved in a single pot, one catalyst system by successive reactions of prochiral dienamide esters with H2 followed by H2/CO using Rh(I)-DuPHOS.