Enantioselective Synthesis of Quaternary 3-Aminooxindoles via Organocatalytic Asymmetric Michael Addition of 3-Monosubstituted 3-Aminooxindoles to Nitroolefins

Abstract

An enantioselective synthesis of quaternary 3-aminooxindoles with 3-monosubstituted 3-aminooxindoles as nucleophiles is first presented. A Michael addition reaction of 3-monosubstituted 3-aminooxindoles to nitroolefins has been developed with a bifunctional thiourea-tertiary amine as a catalyst to afford a range of 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles bearing adjacent quaternary-tertiary centers in good results (up to 98% yield, >99:1 dr, and 92% ee). We also demonstrate the potential synthetic utility of this methodology by a transformation of the product into a spirocyclic oxindole compound.