Enantioselective construction of vicinal all-carbon quaternary centers via catalytic double asymmetric decarboxylative allylation

Abstract

We report a catalytic stereoconvergent construction of vicinal all-carbon quaternary centers via double stereoablative enantioselective alkylation of a mixture having racemic and meso diastereomers of esters to afford exceptional levels of diastereo- (up to 17 : 1) and enantioselectivity (up to >99% ee). The strategy offers an efficient and general approach to dimeric cyclotryptamine alkaloids sharing a labile C(3a)-C(3a') σ-bond in the hexahydropyrroloindoline core.