Chiral Crown Ethers Accessed from Catalytic Enantioselective Desymmetrization Reactions.

A diversity of unprecedented chiral aza-crown ethers were synthesized straightforwardly from readily available and inexpensive aza-crown ethers. Catalyzed by a chiral phosphoric acid, desymmetrization of an array of symmetric N -arylated aza-crown ethers through tert -amino reaction proceeded efficiently under mild conditions to produce novel tetrahydroquinoline-fused aza-crown ethers in good to excellent yields with up to 96% ee . Our strategy opens a new route to functionalized chiral crown ethers.