β-Amino dicarbonyl compounds comprise a class of useful ligands on the coordination chemistry. In view of their importance, an efficient and facile method for the synthesis of β-amino dicarbonyl compounds has been developed, exploring the aza-Michael addition reactions in an aqueous medium. It was possible to achieve good to excellent yields, along with regioselectivity, the substituted diethyl 2-(phenylmethyl)malonates that were easily isolated without any chromatographic purification. The correct configuration of two of these β-amino dicarbonyl compounds were confirmed by X-ray crystallography. A complementary mechanism of this aza-Michael protocol is proposed to explain the results obtained.
polydentate ligands; β-amino dicarbonyl compounds; Michael addition; aqueous medium
