Access to electron-rich arene-fused hexahydroquinolizinones through a gold-catalysis-initiated cascade process.

Golden Cascade: With a tethered, electron-rich arene as the internal nucleophile, a gold-catalyzed amide cyclization to an alkyne initiates a cascade process that ends with a Ferrier rearrangement. Electron-rich arene-bearing hexahydroquinolizin-2-ones are formed in good yields and can be converted into indole alkaloids in only a few steps.