condensation of N-substituted (R)-phenylglycinol with aldehydes. Addition of organolithium reagents to 1,3-oxazolidines by complexation with the bulky Lewis acid aluminumtris(2,6-diphenylphenoxide) (ATPH) readily produced the corresponding chiral amines with good yield and high diastereoselectivity. The configuration of the new stereogenic center was shown to be opposite to that of adducts obtained for
The configuration at the 2-position of 2-(p-bromophenyl)-N-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 3-oxazolidine (2a) was determined by X-ray analysis. The reactions of 2, 4-diphenyl- and 2-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 3-oxazolidines (2b-d and 2e-g) with methyl and phenylmagnesium bromides were investigated.