Additive-Free Three-Component Synthesis of Spiro-isoxazolidine-oxindoles Employing Trifluorodiazoethane

An efficient three-component protocol for the synthesis of trifluoromethylated spiro-isoxazolidine-oxindoles has been developed. This approach employs the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of trifluoromethyl nitrone, generated in situ from trifluorodiazoethane and nitrosoarene, with phenacylideneoxindoles. A range of phenacyclideneoxindoles and nitrosoarenes can be subjected to this reaction to generate the spiro-isoxazolidine-oxindole derivatives. The reductive ring-opening reaction of isoxazolidines carried out to demonstrate the synthetic potential of our strategy resulted in an interesting rearrangement to yield pyrroloquinoline derivatives.