Phosphine-catalyzed Rauhut-Currier domino reaction: a facile strategy for the construction of carbocyclic spirooxindoles skeletons.

Push-over: A novel domino reaction of activated conjugated dienes and methyleneindolinones incorporates a phosphine-catalyzed intermolecular Rauhut-Currier to form two C-C bonds and a quaternary carbon center. This method can be used to synthesize spirocyclopenteneoxindoles skeletons, which are potential building blocks for biologically active compounds.