Enantioselective synthesis of a PKC inhibitor via catalytic C-H bond activation.

[reaction: see text] The syntheses of two biologically active molecules possessing dihydropyrroloindole cores (1 and 2) were completed using rhodium-catalyzed imine-directed C-H bond functionalization, with the second of these molecules containing a stereocenter that can be set with 90% ee during cyclization using chiral nonracemic phosphoramidite ligands. Catalytic decarbonylation and direct indole/maleimide coupling provide efficient access to 2.