A general and enantiodivergent method for the asymmetric synthesis of piperidine alkaloids: concise synthesis of (R)-pipecoline, (S)-coniine and other 2-alkylpiperidines

A simple and very efficient protocol for the preparation of highly enantioenriched 2-alkylpiperidines has been set up, which allows the preparation of the final heterocycles with any wanted configuration at the stereogenic center starting from the same starting material. The key step of the synthesis relies on a diastereodivergent aza-Michael reaction protocol using the readily available and cheap reagent (+)-(S,S)-pseudoephedrine as chiral auxiliary.