Synthesis of β-Amino Acid Derivatives via Copper-Catalyzed Asymmetric 1,4-Reduction of β-(Acylamino)acrylates

A new set of reaction conditions has been established to facilitate the copper-catalyzed enantioselective 1,4-reduction of) beta-(acylamino)acrylates toward a selection of beta-alkyl-beta-amino acid derivatives in high yields and with uniformly high ee values (up to 99%) irrespective of the use of (E)- or (Z)-substrates.