Modular Assembly of Six‐Membered Carbocyclic Spirooxindoles via Peterson Olefination/Michael Addition/C(sp³) Arylation Cascade

Abstract

Comprehensive SummaryConcise assembly of spirooxindoles is of great significance but a challenging task in modern organic synthesis. Described herein is an unusual base‐promoted [4+2] spiroannulation of rarely used isatin‐derived β‐silylcarbinols with o‐halogen aromatic ketones, which enables rapid and modular synthesis of six‐membered carbocyclic spirooxindoles in high yields with excellent functional group tolerance (> 50 examples). Mechanistic experiments revealed that this reaction involved a Peterson olefination, Michael addition and intramolecular C(sp3) arylation cascade. The variegated synthetic derivatization of target products and successful construction of bioactive molecules further illustrate the synthetic potential in spirooxindole‐related drug discovery.