<i>N</i>-Heterocyclic Carbene-Catalyzed Regio- and Enantioselective C7-Alkylation of 4-Aminoindoles with α-Bromoenals

Abstract

The first carbene-catalyzed regio- and enantioselective indole C7-alkylation reaction between 4-aminoindoles and α-bromoenals is disclosed. The corresponding indole products could be obtained in moderate to good yields with good to excellent enantioselectivities. The evaluation of antibacterial activity against <i>Psa</i> revealed that nine of the C7-functionalized indoles exhibited superior inhibitory activities compared to the positive controls TC and BT. Our approach provides an efficient strategy to introduce a chiral chain into the C7 position of indole compounds, with potential applications evaluated in pesticide development.