Indolylmethanols as Reactants in Catalytic Asymmetric Reactions.

Indolylmethanols have emerged as versatile reactants in catalytic asymmetric reactions because of the facile generation of reactive intermediates from these compounds. The most common indolylmethanols are 3-indolylmethanols and 2-indolylmethanols, and the reaction types applicable to these heterocycles mainly include catalytic enantioselective substitutions and cyclizations. Using indolylmethanols as reactants in catalytic asymmetric reactions enables the enantioselective construction of a variety of indole-containing frameworks.