Merging Enantioselective Lewis Base Organocatalysis and Gold(I) Catalysis: A One-Pot Access to Chiral Fused Polycy-clic Compounds

Reported herein is a route to functionalized chiral heteroaromatic polycyclic compounds leveraging two unfriendly catalytic cycles in a one-pot sequential process. α-Heteroaromatic-γ-butyrolactones were engaged in a highly regio-, diastereo- and enantiostereoselective Lewis base Asymmetric Allylic Alkylation (AAA) with alkyne functionalized Morita−Baylis− Hillman (MBH) carbonates. Gratefully to the low Lewis base catalyst loading, subsequent gold cata-lyzed Friedel-Crafts type cyclization, entailing the formation of fused polycyclic compounds, proceeded efficiently affording structurally complex highly enantioenriched products.