Generation and exploitation of acyclic azomethine imines in chiral Brønsted acid catalysis

Acyclic azomethine imines would be useful prochiral electrophiles in catalytic asymmetric reactions, but their generation often requires harsh conditions. Here, they are generated under mild conditions in the presence of an axially chiral dicarboxylic acid, with the chiral counterion (the conjugate base) then directing an enantioselective reaction with a diazoacetate nucleophile.