Functionalized chiral indole derivatives are privileged
and versatile
organic frameworks encountered in numerous pharmaceutically active
agents and biologically active natural products. The catalytic asymmetric
Friedel–Crafts reaction of indoles, catalyzed by chiral metal
complexes or chiral organocatalysts, is one of the most powerful and
atom-economical approaches to access optically active indole derivatives.
Consequently, a wide range of electrophilic partners including α,β-unsaturated
ketones, esters, amides, imines, β,γ-unsaturated α-keto-
and α-ketiminoesters, ketimines, nitroalkenes, and many others
have been successfully employed to achieve a plethora of functionalized
chiral indole moieties. In particular, strategies for C–H functionalization
in the phenyl of indoles require incorporation of a directing or blocking
group in the phenyl or azole ring of indole. The discovery of chiral
catalysts which can control enantiodiscrimination has gained a great
deal of attention in recent years. This review will provide an updated
account on the application of the asymmetric Friedel–Crafts
reaction of indoles in the synthesis of diverse chiral indole derivatives,
covering the timeframe from 2011 to today.