Enantioselective synthesis of N-alkylindoles enabled by nickel-catalyzed C-C coupling

Enantioenriched N-alkylindole compounds, in which nitrogen is bound to a stereogenic sp³ carbon, are an important entity of target molecules in the fields of biological, medicinal, and organic chemistry. Despite considerable efforts aimed at inventing methods for stereoselective indole functionalization, straightforward access to a diverse range of chiral N-alkylindoles in an intermolecular catalytic fashion from readily available indole substrates remains an ongoing challenge. In sharp contrast to existing C-N bond-forming strategies, here, we describe a modular nickel-catalyzed C-C coupling protocol that couples a broad array of N-indolyl-substituted alkenes with aryl/alkenyl/alkynyl bromides to produce chiral N-alkylindole adducts in single regioisomeric form, in up to 91% yield and 97% ee. The process is amenable to proceed under mild conditions and exhibit broad scope and high functional group compatibility. Utility is highlighted through late-stage functionalization of natural products and drug molecules, preparation of chiral building blocks.