The Strecker amino acid synthesis is a method for the synthesis of amino acids by the reaction of an aldehyde with ammonia in the presence of potassium cyanide. The condensation reaction yields an α-aminonitrile, which is subsequently hydrolyzed to give the desired amino acid.

Strecker reaction examples catalyzed by cinchona alkaloid derivatives can be found in our free of charge Chiral Catalyst Search.

Example from Literature

Asymmetric Activation of tropos 2,2′-Biphenol with Cinchonine Generates an Effective Catalyst for the Asymmetric Strecker Reaction of N-Tosyl-Protected Aldimines and Ketoimines. (Wang et al.; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2007, 46, 44, 8468-8470.)