Ytterbium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate catalyzed high pressure reaction of epoxides with indole. An enantioselective synthesis of (+)-diolmycin A2

Abstract Epoxide opening reactions with indole are efficiently accelerated under high pressure conditions in the presence of a catalytic amount of ytterbium(III) trifluoromethanesulfonate to afford tryptophol derivatives. The procedure is successfully applied for an enantioselective synthesis of (+)-diolmycin A2.