Asymmetric Bronsted Acid-Catalyzed Friedel-Crafts Reactions of Indoles with Cyclic Imines - Efficient Generation of Nitrogen-Substituted Quaternary Carbon Centers

A new enantioselective Bronsted acid-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts reaction of indole with cyclic imines has been develeoped. This organocatalytic reaction provides for the first time optically active indolindolinone derivatives in high yields and with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 91% ee) under mild reaction conditions.