Chiral Bronsted Acid-Catalyzed Enantioselective Three-Component Povarov Reaction

The three-component Povarov reaction of aldehydes, anilines, and benzyl N-vinylcarbamate in the presence of 0.1 equiv of chiral phosphoric acid afforded cis-2,4-disubstituted tetrahydroquinolines, e.g. I, in good yields and excellent enantiomeric excesses. The shortest synthesis of torcetrapib reported to date, which features this key three-component reaction, is documented. [on SciFinder (R)]