A highly efficient Mukaiyama-Mannich reaction of N-Boc isatin ketimines and other active cyclic ketimines using difluoroenol silyl ethers catalyzed by Ph3PAuOTf.

Ph3PAuOTf is identified as a powerful catalyst for the addition of difluoroenol silyl ethers to N-Boc isatin ketimines and other two kinds of active cyclic ketimines. This represents the first Au(i)-catalyzed Mukaiyama-Mannich reaction, and the corresponding non-fluorinated enol silyl ether proves to be even much more reactive under the same conditions. This method paves the way to the total synthesis of difluoromethylated analogues of AG-041R, a gastrin/CCK-B receptor antagonist.