Construction of chiral 3-alkenyl-3-substituted oxindoles by stereoselective direct alkenylation of isatin derivatives and 3-vinylindoles

An efficient asymmetric alkenylation between 3-vinylindoles and isatin derivatives was developed under catalysis of a chiral copper complex. A series of optically active 3-alkenyl-3-substituted oxindoles were obtained in excellent yields and stereoselectivities. The reaction mechanism was proposed and supported by DFT calculation.