Enantioselective copper-catalyzed construction of aryl pyrroloindolines via an arylation-cyclization cascade.

An enantioselective arylation-cyclization cascade has been accomplished using a combination of diaryliodonium salts and asymmetric copper catalysis. These mild catalytic conditions provide a new strategy for the enantioselective construction of pyrroloindolines, an important alkaloid structural motif that is commonly found among biologically active natural products.