Enantioselective cyclopropanation of indoles: construction of all-carbon quaternary stereocenters.

The first enantioselective copper-catalyzed cyclopropanation of N-acyl indoles is described. Using carbohydrate-based bis(oxazoline) ligands (glucoBox), the products were obtained in up to 72% ee. Cyclopropanation of N-Boc 3-methyl indole yielded a product with an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter, which is a valuable building block for the synthesis of indole alkaloids: Deprotection and rearrangement gave a tricyclic hemiaminal ester in 96% ee, which was subsequently employed as a key intermediate for the synthesis of (-)-desoxyeseroline.