A Morita–Baylis–Hillman Pathway to Wittig Products: One‐Pot Transformation of Nitroalkylideneoxindoles to Oxindolylidene‐Carboxylates

Abstract

An unusual Morita–Baylis–Hillman (MBH) type reactivity of isatin‐derived nitroalkenes with activated carbonyl compounds has been demonstrated for the first time. The unexpected 3‐alkylideneoxindole esters were formed in moderate to excellent yields with complete stereoselectivity (only E‐isomer). The proposed mechanism based on control experiments involves a hybrid MBH–Wittig pathway.