Brønsted-Acid-Promoted Rh-Catalyzed Asymmetric Hydrogenation of N‑Unprotected Indoles: A Cocatalysis of Transition Metal and Anion Binding

The incorporation of Brønsted acid, thiourea anion binding, and transition metal catalysis enables an efficient method to synthesize chiral indolines via hydrogenation of indoles. Catalyzed by a rhodium/ZhaoPhos complex, asymmetric hydrogenation of unprotected indoles is performed smoothly with excellent enantioselectivities (up to 99% ee, up to 400 TON). Brønsted acid HCl activates indoles to form iminium ion intermediates. Mechanistic studies support the assumption that anion binding plays a crucial role as a secondary interaction. DFT calculations reveal an outer-sphere mechanism in this chemical transformation.