Amino acids and peptides. XXIX. A new efficient asymmetric synthesis of .ALPHA.-amino acid derivatives with recycle of a chiral reagent - asymmetric alkylation of a chiral Schiff base from glycine.
A biomimetic enantioselective transamination of α-keto ester derivatives can be realized under mild conditions by using chiral quaternary ammonium arenecarboxylates in the absence of base additives. The corresponding α-aminoacids can be used as versatile intermediates for further synthetic transformations that furnish chiral pyrrolidine and octahydroindolizine derivatives.