Highly Chemoselective Rauhut–Currier Reaction between Maleimides and Enones and Dual Phosphine-Mediated One-Pot Synthesis of Bicyclic and Polycyclic Skeletons

A highly chemoselective phosphine-catalyzed Rauhut–Currier reaction between maleimides and enones has been realized under very mild conditions, affording the corresponding cross-coupling products in moderate to excellent yields. On the basis of this reaction, an efficient dual phosphine-mediated one-pot synthesis of bicyclic and polycyclic compounds containing a cyclopenta­[c]­pyrrole skeleton has been accordingly developed, which features a tandem sequence of intermolecular Rauhut–Currier reaction and intramolecular Wittig reaction.