A metal-free
hydrogenation of 2,4-disubstituted quinolines was
realized for the first time using chiral diene derived borane catalysts
to furnish the corresponding tetrahydroquinolines in 75–98%
yields with 95/5−99/1 dr’s and 86–98% ee’s.
This catalytic system was also effective for 2,3-disubstituted quinolines
to give moderate to good ee’s