One-Pot Dichotomous Construction of Inside-Azayohimban and Pro-Azayohimban Systems via an Enantioselective Organocatalytic Cascade; Their Use as a Model to Probe the (Aza-)Indole Local Solvent Environ
A one-pot enantioselective synthesis of 7-azaindole-octahydroisoquinolin-3-one and an inside-aza-yohimbane system containing five contiguous stereogenic centers with high enantioselectivities (>99% ee) was achieved. The prepared highly functionalized polycyclic system provides a model for probing the solvent catalyzed proton transfer reaction and mimicking the local environment of the tryptophan moiety in proteins.