A Model Study towards a Conceptually New Synthetic Entry into the Seco‐ and Heteroyohimbine Alkaloid Families

A model study is presented that paves the way to a new and flexible synthetic approach towards the seco‐ and heteroyohimbine alkaloid class. The key step involves a highly diastereoselective Cope rearrangement of an (E,E)‐azacyclodeca‐3,7‐diene grafted onto a 3‐ethylindole moiety to furnish a trans‐3,4‐divinylpiperidine derivative in 83% yield.