Squaramide Organocatalyzed Addition of a Masked Acyl Cyanide to β-Nitrostyrenes.

A method for the squaramide-organocatalyzed enantioselective addition of a silyl-protected masked acyl cyanide (MAC) reagent to various β-nitrostyrenes is described. Reactions are carried out in a freezer and provide products cleanly and in high enantioselectivities at very low catalyst loadings. Adducts are then unmasked, providing various oxidation state 3 functional groups, thereby highlighting the utility of these MAC reagents and a new strategy for the preparation of β-amino acids.