Bismuth(iii)-catalyzed regioselective alkylation of tetrahydroquinolines and indolines towards the synthesis of bioactive core-biaryl oxindoles and CYP19 inhibitors.

Bismuth(iii)-catalyzed regioselective functionalization at the C-6 position of tetrahydroquinolines and the C-5 position of indolines has been demonstrated. For the first time, one pot symmetrical and unsymmetrical arylation of isatins with tetrahydroquinolines was accomplished giving a completely new product skeleton in good to excellent yields. Most importantly, this protocol leads to the formation of a highly strained quaternary carbon stereogenic center, which is a challenging task. Benzhydryl and 1-phenylethyl trichloroacetimidates have been used as the alkylating partners to functionalize the C-6 and C-5 positions of tetrahydroquinolines and indolines, respectively. The scope of the developed methodology has been extended for the synthesis of the bioactive CYP19-inhibitor and its analogue.