N‐Heterocyclic carbene‐catalyzed Atroposelective Annulation for Access to Pyrrolo[3,4‐b]pyridines Derivatives with C−N Axial Chirality.

An N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) catalyzed atroposelective [3+3] annulation of enals with α‐aminomaleimides is developed. In this strategy, a series of atropisomeric pyrrolo[3,4‐b]pyridine bearing various substituents and substitution patterns are generated in good yields with excellent enantioselectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]