Enantioselective Copper-Catalyzed Fukuyama Indole Synthesis from 2-Vinylphenyl Isocyanides.

Enantioenriched chiral indoles are of high interest for the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. Herein, we present an asymmetric Fukuyama indole synthesis through a mild and efficient radical cascade reaction to access 2-fluoroalkylated 3-(α-cyanobenzylated) indoles by stereochemical control with a chiral copper-bisoxazoline complex using 2-vinylphenyl arylisocyanides as radical acceptors and fluoroalkyl iodides as C-radical precursors. Radical addition to the isonitrile moiety, 5-exo-trig cyclization, and Cu-catalyzed stereoselective cyanation provide the targeted indoles with excellent enantioselectivity and good yields. Due to the similar electronic and steric properties of the two aryl substituents to be differentiated, the enantioselective construction of the cyano diaryl methane stereocenter is highly challenging. Mechanistic studies reveal a negative nonlinear effect which allows proposing a model to explain the stereochemical outcome. Scalability and potential utility of the enantioenriched 3-(α-cyanobenzylated) indoles as hubs for chiral tryptamines, indole-3-acetic acid derivatives, and triarylmethanes are demonstrated, and a formal synthesis of a natural product analogue is disclosed.

A Common C2 -Symmetric 2,2'-Biphenol Building Block and its Application in the Synthesis of (+)-di-epi-Gonytolide A.

A variety of biaryl polyketides exhibit remarkable bioactivities. However, their synthetic accessibility is often challenging. Herein, the enantioselective preparation and synthetic application of an axially chiral 2,2'-biphenol building block is outlined that represents a common motif of these intriguing natural products. Based on the highly regioselective and scalable bromination of a phenol precursor, a coupling process by Lipshutz cuprate oxidation was developed. A copper-mediated deracemization strategy proved to be superior to derivatization or kinetic resolution approaches. Key steps in the overall building block synthesis were rationalized through DFT studies. Utilizing the 2,2'-biphenol, a highly diastereoselective five step synthesis of formerly unknown (+)-di-epi-gonytolide A was developed, thus showcasing the building block's general potential for the synthesis of natural products and their derivatives. En route, the first enantioselective construction of a chromone dimer intermediate was established.