Highly efficient and stereoselective construction of dispiro-[oxazolidine-2-thione]bisoxindoles and dispiro[imidazolidine-2-thione]bisoxindoles.

An efficient and stereoselective reaction between 3-isothiocyanato oxindoles and isatins/isatinimines has been developed to afford structurally diverse dispiro[oxazolidine-2-thione]bisoxindoles and dispiro[imidazolidine-2-thione]bisoxindoles in excellent results under mild conditions. The potential of asymmetric induction by means of a chiral auxiliary was explored. The isomers are separable, and products could be isolated as single diastereomers by column chromatography. Further synthetic transformations of the reaction product were also successfully realized.