Diastereoselective synthesis of functionalised indolizino[8,7-b]indoles by a lactamisation/N-acyliminium-cyclisation cascade of β-enamino diketones

Abstract

We report a diastereoselective, metal-free cascade synthesis of functionalised indolizino[8,7-b]indoles from L-tryptophan-derived β-enamino diketones through a one-pot lactamisation/N-acyliminium cyclisation sequence. This approach delivers fused polycycles in moderate to excellent yields (65-82%) and high stereocontrol, providing rapid access to valuable functionalised indolizino[8,7-b]indole derivatives for synthetic and medicinal chemistry.