Enantioselective Conjugate Reduction

In the same journal I also came across the organocatalytic transfer hydrogenation outlined below (S Arseniyadis et al, Org Lett, 2009, 11, (13), 2756).  This process brings together several interesting facets; organocatalytic process, enantioselective, use of a Hantzsch diester for hydrogen source.

The authors report yields typically around 75-80% and up to 94% ee.  The process appears straightforward, involving the use of about 20mol% organocatalyst in solvent (toluene or chloroform typically) and 1.2 mol equiv of the Hantzsch ester for about 12-36h.