Front Cover: Synthesis of Chiral β-Trifluoromethyl-β-Amino Acid Derivatives in Aqueous Medium (Asian J. Org. Chem. 4/2025)

In article number e202400812, Darunee Soorukram and co-workers report a practical process to perform diastereoselective aza-Michael addition of aromatic amines to chiral Michael substrate using water as a reaction medium leading to the synthesis of enantioenriched β-trifluoromethyl-β-amino acid derivatives. It has been observed that the reaction proceeded at an accelerated rate when conducted in water (in comparison to organic solvents). Therefore, the cover of this work is designed to highlight the key feature of using water as a solvent, which is safe, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly, for conducting stereoselective organic reactions. A fishing hook is used as a representative of the hydrogen bond between chiral substrate and water or amine, which plays a significant role in influencing the face-selectivity of the reactions.