Rhodium(III)-catalyzed oxidative annulation of -arylbenzamidines with maleimides dual C-H activation.

An oxidative annulation of -arylbenzimidamides with maleimides has been developed for the first time using a catalytic amount of the [Cp*RhCl] complex for the synthesis of a diverse range of 1-benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-]pyrrolo[3,4-]isoquinoline-1,3(2)-dione derivatives. This method is versatile and atom-economical for producing polycyclic benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-]pyrrolo[3,4-] isoquinoline-1,3(2)-dione scaffolds in a single step.

Asymmetric Robinson Annulation of 3-Indolinone-2-carboxylates with Cyclohexenone: Access to Chiral Bridged Tricyclic Hydrocarbazoles.

A chiral bifuntional thiourea catalyzed diastereo- and enantioselective Michael addition followed by an intramolecular Aldol reaction of 3-indolinone-2-carboxylates with cyclohexenone has been accomplished using a chiral thiourea catalyst. It is a novel strategy for the construction of chiral bridged tricyclic hydrocarbazole derivatives bearing four contiguous stereocenters with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivity.