N-Methylative aziridine ring opening: asymmetric synthesis of hygroline, pseudohygroline, and hygrine

Abstract Asymmetric syntheses of biologically and pharmaceutically important (−)-hygroline, (−)-pseudohygroline, and (−)-hygrine were achieved by a newly developed ‘ N -methylative aziridine ring opening reactions’ of (2 S )-methoxycarbonylethylaziridine as a key step.