Enantioselective Aza-Friedel-Crafts Reaction of Indoles and Pyrroles Catalyzed by Chiral C1-Symmetric Bis(phosphoric Acid)

A hydrogen bonding network in chiral Bronsted acid catalysts is important for the construction of a chiral cavity and the enhancement of catalytic activity. In this regard, we developed a highly enantioselective aza-Friedel-Crafts reaction of indoles and pyrroles with acyclic a-ketimino esters in the presence of a chiral C-1-symmetric BINOL-derived bis(phosphoric acid) catalyst. The desired alkylation products with chiral quaternary carbon centers were obtained in high yields with high enantioselectivities on up to a 1.2-g scale with 0.2 mol % catalyst loading. Interestingly, the absolute configurations of the products from indoles and pyrroles were opposite even with the use of the same chiral catalyst. Moreover, preliminary mechanistic considerations disclosed that a unique hydrogen bonding network with or without pi-pi interactions among the catalyst and substrates might partially play a pivotal role.