Lanthanide amides [(Me3Si)2N]3Ln(µ‐Cl)Li(THF)3‐catalyzed phospho‐aldol‐brook rearrangement reaction of dialkyl phosphites with isatins

The tetracoordinated lanthanide amides [(Me₃Si)₂N]₃Ln(µ‐Cl)Li(THF)₃ were found to serve as highly active catalysts for the phospho‐Aldol‐Brook rearrangement reaction of various dialkyl phosphites and isatins. The reactions produced dialkyl 2‐oxoindolin‐3‐yl phosphates in good to excellent yields in the presence of 1 mol% [(Me₃Si)₂N]₃La(µ‐Cl)Li(THF)₃ at room temperature within 5 min. A mechanism for this highly efficient process was proposed. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heteroatom Chem 23:449–456, 2012; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com . DOI 10.1002/hc.21036