Fused Indolines by Palladium-Catalyzed Asymmetric C-C Coupling Involving an Unactivated Methylene Group

Selectivity at high temperatures: Bulky, thermally stable, chiral palladium complexes generated from N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs; see picture) were successfully applied to the synthesis of highly enantioenriched trans-fused indolines. Remarkably, this reaction occurs at elevated temperatures with excellent asymmetric recognition of an enantiotopic C-H bond in an unactivated methylene unit