Copper-catalyzed hydroboration of alkenyl oxindoles

Herein we describe the NHC-Cu(I)-catalyzed hydroboration of alkenyl oxindoles. The corresponding boronates were obtained in good yields, under operationally simple and environmentally friendly conditions, using ethanol as the solvent. Our studies revealed that water-based systems were not very effective. Furthermore, the obtained products are amenable to further elaboration and can be useful to the synthesis of a broader range of oxindole-containing molecules with biological relevance.