Facile and highly diastereoselective synthesis of 3-aminooxindoles via AgOAc-catalyzed vinylogous Mannich reaction

A novel AgOAc-catalyzed vinylogous Mannich reaction between easily prepared imines 1 derived from isatins and trimethylsilyloxyfuran 2 (TMSOF) was developed. This method provided a facile synthetic route to get access to synthetically useful quaternary 3-aminooxindole in excellent yields (94-99%) and diastereoselectivities (>99:1).