Remarkable effect of N-substituent on enantioselective ruthenium-catalyzed propargylation of indoles with propargylic alcohols

Ruthenium-catalyzed enantioselective propargylation of indoles with propargylic alcohols affords the corresponding beta-propargylated indoles in good yields with a high enantioselectivity (up to 95% ee). A remarkable effect of the nature of the N-substituent of indoles is observed for the enantioselectivity of the propargylated indoles. The preparative method described in this paper may provide a novel protocol for asymmetric Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles using propargylic alcohols as a new type of electrophiles.     

Synthesis of 3-(2-nitroalkyl) indoles by reaction of 3-(1-arylsulfonylalkyl) indoles with nitroalkanes

Sulfonyl indoles act as effective precursors of vinylogous imino derivatives in the reaction with nitroalkanes under basic conditions leading to the corresponding nitro indoles in good yield. This procedure represents an effective option to the classical conjugate addition of indoles to nitroalkenes.     

Solventless clay-promoted Friedel-Crafts reaction of indoles with alpha-amido sulfones: unexpected synthesis of 3-(1-arylsulfonylalkyl) indoles

Friedel-Crafts reaction of indoles with alpha-amido sulfones in the presence of montmorillonite K-10 leads unexpectedly to 3-(1-arylsulfonylalkyl) indoles in good yield. The obtained products can be further desulfonylated under reductive or alkylative conditions giving linear and branched 3-substituted indoles.     

Stereoselective synthesis of both enantiomers of N-aryl indoles with axially chiral N-C bonds

N-Aryl indoles with axially chiral N-C bonds were synthesized by stereoselective nucleophilic aromatic substitution reactions of planar chiral tricarbonyl(2,6-disubstituted-1-fluorobenzene)chromium complexes. The stereochemistry of the products is highly dependent on the position of the substituent in the indole. When indoles devoid of a substituent at the 2-position were used, N-aryl indole chromium complexes having anti orientation with respect to the tricarbonylchromium fragment were obtained diastereoselectively. In contrast, 2-substituted indoles gave the N-aryl indoles with syn orientation between the tricarbonylchromium fragment and the benzene ring of the indole. These results demonstrate that we have succeeded in synthesizing both enantiomers of N-aryl indoles utilizing an identical planar chiral arene chromium complex.     

A Strategy for Synthesizing Axially Chiral Naphthyl‐Indoles: Catalytic Asymmetric Addition Reactions of Racemic Substrates

A new strategy for enantioselective synthesis of axially chiral naphthyl‐indoles has been established through catalytic asymmetric addition reactions of racemic naphthyl‐indoles with bulky electrophiles. Under chiral phosphoric acid catalysis, azodicarboxylates and o‐hydroxybenzyl alcohols served as bulky but reactive electrophiles that were attacked by C2‐unsubstituted naphthyl‐indoles, which underwent a dynamic kinetic resolution to afford two series of axially chiral naphthyl‐indoles in good yields (up to 98 %) and high enantioselectivities (up to 98:2 er).     

Palladium-/copper-catalyzed regioselective amination and chloroamination of indoles

A palladium-/copper-catalyzed intermolecular C-H amination reaction of indoles has been developed. This reaction proceeds in good to excellent yields to produce a variety of 2-amino-substituted indoles and exhibits excellent regioselectivity at room temperature. Furthermore, chloroamination of indoles provides a simple method for the construction of C-N and C-Cl bonds in one step.     

Indirect regioselective heteroarylation of indoles through a Friedel-Crafts reaction with (E)-1,4-diaryl-2-buten-1,4-diones

A two-step synthesis of 3-heteroaryl indoles has been developed. The first step of the sequence involves a Friedel-Crafts alkylation of indoles with 1,4-diaryl-2-buten-1,4-diones to give the corresponding indoles bearing a 1,4-dicarbonyl moiety. The reaction is catalyzed by InCl₃ and takes place with good yields. Cyclization of the diones under different Paal-Knorr conditions allows to prepare indoles substituted at the C3 position with 3-furanyl, 3-pyrrolyl- and 3-thienyl moieties.     

A convenient one-pot three component synthesis of 3-aminoalkylated indoles catalyzed by 3-chlorophenylboronic acid

An efficient protocol was developed for the synthesis of 3-aminoalkylated indoles using 3-chlorophenylboronic acid as a catalyst under ambient temperature conditions. The three-component reaction of indoles, aromatic aldehydes and N-methyl aniline offered corresponding 3-aminoalkylated indoles in excellent yields. This protocol presents some remarkable features such as mild reaction conditions, simple workup procedure and excellent yields.     

Mild and Efficient Michael Addition of Activated Olefins to Indoles using TBAB as a Catalyst: Synthesis of 3‐Substituted Indoles

A mild and efficient method for the synthesis of 3‐substituted indoles by treatment of activated olefins with indoles using TBAB as a catalyst afforded the corresponding products in excellent yields. The method is general for the preparation of a wide variety of 3‐substituted indoles.     

Synthesis of highly N-substituted indole library via conjugate additions of indoline and their synthetic tool potentials

A comprehensive library of N- or 1-substituted indoles was formed by conjugate additions of indoline with Michael acceptors followed by an oxidation step. Using N-substituted indoles as key Michael donors, the synthesis of 1,3-disubstituted indoles was also accomplished.     

Carboxylic acid catalyzed three-component aza-Friedel-Crafts reactions in water for the synthesis of 3-substituted indoles

[reaction: see text] The carboxylic acid catalyzed three-component aza-Friedel-Crafts reactions of aldehydes, primary amines, and indoles in water have been developed. The aza-Friedel-Crafts products could be easily transformed to various 3-substituted indoles including biologically active compounds. This system offers a novel efficient method for the synthesis of 3-substituted indoles.     

Palladium-catalyzed direct C-2 arylation of indoles with potassium aryltrifluoroborate salts

Mild conditions have been developed to achieve Pd(OAc)2-catalyzed regioselective cross-coupling between indoles and potassium aryltrifluoroarylborates in the presence of Cu(OAc)2 in acetic acid at room temperature. A variety of potassium aryltrifluoroborates selectively undergo the direct arylation across indoles and afford 2-aryl indoles in moderate to good yields.     

Palladium-catalyzed functionalization of indoles with 2-acetoxymethyl-substituted electron-deficient alkenes

New functionalizations of indoles via palladium-catalyzed reaction of indoles and 2-acetoxymethyl-substituted electron-deficient alkenes are reported. It was found that for N-protected indoles the reaction proceeded smoothly in the presence of 5 mol % of Pd(acac)2 and 10 mol % of PPh3 at 80 degrees C in HOAc, while for N-unprotected indoles, the reaction was carried out by using 5 mol % of Pd(dba)2 or 2.5 mol % of Pd2(dba)3.CHCl3 with 10 mol % of 2,2'-bipyridine as the catalyst in toluene. This strategy allows the selective installation of electron-deficient olefin functionality at the 3-position of indoles, which might be difficult to obtain by other methods and can be further elaborated.     

Palladium-catalyzed cyclization/carboalkoxylation of alkenyl indoles

Reaction of 1-methyl-2-(4-pentenyl)indole with a catalytic amount of PdCl2(CH3CN)2 (5 mol %) and a stoichiometric amount of CuCl2 (3 equiv) in methanol under CO (1 atm) at room temperature for 30 min led to cyclization/carboalkoxylation to form the corresponding tetrahydrocarbazole in 83% isolated yield as a single regioisomer. Palladium-catalyzed cyclization/carboalkoxylation of 2-(4-pentenyl)indoles tolerated substitution along the alkenyl chain and at the internal and cis-terminal olefinic positions. Palladium-catalyzed cyclization/carboalkoxylation tolerated a range of alcohols and was effective for the cyclization of 2-(3-butenyl)indoles, 3-(3-butenyl)indoles, 3-(4-pentenyl)indoles, and 2-(5-hexenyl)indoles.     

DDQ-mediated oxidative cross-coupling between propargylic sp and indoles sp carbons

DDQ-catalyzed oxidative cross-coupling reaction between indoles and propargyl compounds is reported for the first time. The reaction involves direct carbon-carbon bond formation between sp² carbons of indoles and sp³ carbons of propargylates to yield the corresponding propargyl indoles in good yields with high selectivity.     

Facile access to polysubstituted indoles via a cascade Cu-catalyzed arylation-condensation process

Cu(I)/L-proline-catalyzed cross-coupling of 2-halotrifluoroacetanilides with beta-keto esters and amides followed by in situ acidic hydrolysis delivered 2,3-disubstituted indoles. The halides bearing a strong electron-withdrawing group in the 4-position can undergo in situ basic hydrolysis to provide the corresponding indoles. Polysubstituted indoles can be prepared from substituted 2-halotrifluoroacetanilides with high regioselectivity.     

Ketosulfonyl indoles in the regiodefined synthesis of tryptophols and related indole derivatives

Reduction of ketosulfonyl indoles with sodium borohydride provides a ready entry to tryptophols in a regiocomplementary fashion with respect to the traditional oxirane ring-opening by indoles under Friedel-Crafts conditions. Compared to traditional β-ketosulfones, ketosulfonyl indoles show a peculiar behavior since they undergo a Lewis acid promoted elimination of the arylsulfonyl group allowing the preparation of indolyl-substituted 1,4-dicarbonyl derivatives.     

Direct synthesis of fused indoles by gold-catalyzed cascade cyclization of diynes

A direct, concise, and atom-economical synthetic method for the generation of fused indoles, using a gold-catalyzed cascade cyclization of diynes, has been developed. The reaction gave various fused indoles, such as aryl-annulated[a]carbazoles, dihydrobenzo[g]indoles, and azepino- or oxepinoindole derivatives in good to excellent yields, through an intramolecular cascade 5-endo-dig hydroamination followed by a 6- or 7-endo-dig cycloisomerization, without producing theoretical byproduct. Three of the resulting indoles exhibited potent antifungal activities against T. mentagrophytes and T. rubrum, demonstrating the practical application of the described cascade reaction for drug discovery.     

Parallel synthesis of an indole-based library via an iterative Mannich reaction sequence

A library of 1,3-disubstituted indoles has been prepared via an iterative Mannich reaction sequence. The first Mannich reaction with secondary amines and formaldehyde preferentially yields 3-aminomethyl indoles, while the second Mannich reaction introduces an additional aminomethyl group at the N1-position of the indole ring. A library of 25 substituted indoles has thus been prepared in moderate to good yields with purity.     

Myoglobin‐Catalyzed C−H Functionalization of Unprotected Indoles

Functionalized indoles are recurrent motifs in bioactive natural products and pharmaceuticals. While transition metal‐catalyzed carbene transfer has provided an attractive route to afford C3‐functionalized indoles, these protocols are viable only in the presence of N‐protected indoles, owing to competition from the more facile N−H insertion reaction. Herein, a biocatalytic strategy for enabling the direct C−H functionalization of unprotected indoles is reported. Engineered variants of myoglobin provide efficient biocatalysts for this reaction, which has no precedents in the biological world, enabling the transformation of a broad range of indoles in the presence of ethyl α‐diazoacetate to give the corresponding C3‐functionalized derivatives in high conversion yields and excellent chemoselectivity. This strategy could be exploited to develop a concise chemoenzymatic route to afford the nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drug indomethacin.