Asymmetric Hydrogenation of Dibenzo[c,e]azepine Derivatives with Chiral Cationic Ruthenium Diamine Catalysts.

An efficient Ru-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of dibenzo[c,e]azepines is reported. A series of seven-membered cyclic amines were obtained with moderate to excellent enantioselectivity. The catalyst counteranion played an important role in achieving high-level chiral induction. Moreover, a one-pot synthesis of chiral 6,7-dihydro-5H-dibenz[c,e]azepines via two-step reductive amination was also developed.