One-pot synthesis of substituted indolines via a copper-catalyzed sequential multicomponent/C–N coupling reaction

One-pot synthesis of 2-(N-sulfonylimino)indolines has been developed. The procedure combines the copper-catalyzed three-component reaction of sulfonyl azides, o-bromophenylacetylenes, and amines and the copper-catalyzed intramolecular C–N coupling in one sequence, which afforded the products in moderate to good yields. The resulting 2-(N-sulfonylimino)indolines could be easily transformed to pharmaceutically valuable oxindoles (indolin-2-ones).