title: Highly enantioselective synthesis of beta-heteroaryl-substituted dihydrochalcones through Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles and pyrrole.
abstract: A highly enantioselective Friedel-Crafts (F-C) alkylation of indoles and pyrrole with chalcone derivatives catalyzed by a chiral N,N'-dioxide-Sc(OTf)(3) complex has been developed that tolerates a wide range of substrates. The reaction proceeds in moderate to excellent yields and high enantioselectivities (85-92 % enantiomeric excess) using 2 mol % (for indole) or 0.5 mol % (for pyrrole) catalyst loading, which showed the potential value of the catalyst system. Meanwhile, a strong positive nonlinear effect was observed. On the basis of the experimental results and previous reports, a possible working model is proposed to explain the origin of the activation and asymmetric induction.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Green Chemistry & Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, PR China.
authors.forename: Wentao
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiaohua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Weidi
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lili
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Xiaoming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Feng