Chiral chloro-indeno pybox has served as a new ligand for the Yb(OTf)3-catalyzed asymmetric Friedel-Crafts alkylation reaction of indoles with nitroalkenes. The tunable nature of pybox ligands enables the rational design of catalysts for optimal performance in terms of both activity and stereoselectivity in a Friedel-Crafts-type reaction. Good to excellent yields and enantioselectivities were obtained for a relatively wide range of substrates, including sterically hindered compounds, under optimized reaction conditions.
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