Recent Advances in Asymmetric Addition Reactions to Isatins

Abstract

The 3-substituted-3-hydroxy-2-oxindole scaffolds are not only widely encountered in bioactive compounds but also serve as versatile building blocks for the construction of diverse valuable architectures. Although numerous synthetic methodologies have been developed over the past decades, the asymmetric addition of nucleophiles or their equivalents to isatin substrates has proved to be one of the most efficient strategies for the synthesis of chiral 3-substituted-3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles. This Short Review aims to summarize the significant progress achieved in this field in recent years, with particular attention paid to reaction development, mechanism, and stereo-induction models.