Highly enantioselective construction of CF3-bearing all-carbon quaternary stereocenters: Chiral spiro-fused bisoxazoline ligands with 1,1′-binaphthyl sidearm for asymmetric Michael-type Friedel-Crafts reaction

Abstract

A novel class of chiral spiro-fused bisoxazoline ligands possessing a deep chiral pocket was prepared. The developed ligands have been employed in the nickel-catalyzed highly enantioselective Michael-type Friedel-Crafts reaction, affording the products bearing a trifluoromethylated all-carbon quaternary stereocenter with moderate to excellent yields (up to 99%) and good to excellent enantioselectivies (up to > 99.9% ee). Moreover, a proposed model of chiral pocket revealed that the attack of indole from the Re-face of β-CF3-β-disubstituted nitroalkene was favorable.