Brønsted acid-catalyzed asymmetric dearomatization of indolyl ynamides: Practical and enantioselective synthesis of polycyclic indolines

Catalytic asymmetric dearomatization of indoles and alkynes has received much attention in the past decade because this strategy offers an attractive and alternative way for the efficient synthesis of valuable chiral polycyclic indolines. However, these reactions have been mostly limited to transition-metal catalysts, and the related chiral Brønsted acid catalysis has been scarcely reported. Herein, we disclose a chiral phosphoric acid-catalyzed asymmetric dearomatization of indolyl ynamides by direct activation of alkynes. This metal-free method enables the practical and atom-economical construction of an array of valuable chiral polycyclic indolines in moderate to good yields with high enantioselectivities