Asymmetric Domino Heck/Dearomatization Reaction of β-Naphthols to Construct Indole-Terpenoid Frameworks

Org Lett. 2021 Oct 15;23(20):7865-7872. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.1c02881. Epub 2021 Sep 28.

Abstract

A palladium-catalyzed enantioselective Heck cyclization/dearomatization cascade via capturing the cyclized Heck π-allylpalladium intermediate by β-naphthols is reported, which provides a new strategy for the construction of chiral indole-terpenoid frameworks. This method affords indole-functionalized β-naphthalenone compounds bearing an all-carbon-substituted quaternary chiral center in excellent yields (up to 92%) and enantioselectivities (up to 94% ee). In addition, the utility of this method is showcased by the gram-scale syntheses and diverse transformations of the dearomatized products.