New thiourea organocatalysts and their application for the synthesis of 5-(1H-indol-3-yl)methyl-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane-4,6-diones a source of chiral 3-indoylmethyl ketenes

The stereoselective properties of modified thiourea organocatalysts were tested in the Friedel–Crafts alkylation of indole with 5-arylidene-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane-4,6-diones, which produces chiral 5-((1H-indol-3-yl)(aryl)methyl)-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane-4,6-diones. Based on a tentative reaction mechanism for ((S)-N-benzyl-2-(3-(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)thioureido)-N,3,3-trimethylbutanamide organocatalysts, modifications were applied in four selected regions. Systematic structure-stereoselectivity relationship study allowed designing the best efficient organocatalyst for the investigated Friedel–Crafts alkylation of indole with 5-arylidene-2,2-dimethyl-1,3-dioxane-4,6-diones.