Synthesis of (2 R ,3a R ,8a R )‐6‐Chloro‐3a‐hydroxy‐l,2,3,3a,8,8a‐hexahydropyrrolo[2,3‐ b ]indole‐2‐carboxylic Acid Methyl Ester by Reductive Cyclization

A synthesis of (2 R ,3a R ,8a R )‐6‐chloro‐3a‐hydroxy‐1,2,3a8,8a‐hexahydropyrrolo[2,3‐ b ]indole‐2‐carboxylic acid methyl ester (1) was achieved. An aldol reaction with Garner aldehyde, a hydroxyl introduction by Davis reagent, and a reductive intramolecular ring‐closure reaction were served as the key steps. This piece of work provides a new way to synthesize the analogues of hexahydropyrrolo[2,3‐b]indole, starting from readily available chemical substrates and inexpensive reagents.