Directly Bridging Indoles to 3,3′‐Bisindolylmethanes by Using Carboxylic Acids and Hydrosilanes under Mild Conditions

A straightforward Lewis acid‐promoted protocol for 3,3′‐bisindolylmethanes (BIMs) synthesis by reductive alkylation of indoles at the C3 position with carboxylic acids in the presence of hydrosilane was developed for the first time. Instead of aldehydes, more readily available, stable, and easy‐to‐handle carboxylic acids have been employed as alternative alkylating agents. As an efficient organocatalyst, B(C₆F₅)₃ enables the reductive alkylation of various substituted indole derivatives with carboxylic acids with up to 98 % yield at room temperature and under neat conditions. This metal‐free strategy offers an alternative approach for the direct functionalization of indoles to BIMs with carboxylic acids and such protocol allows selective reduction of carboxylic acid to aldehyde in combination with C−C bond formation.     

Highly Efficient Synthesis of Unsymmetrical 3,3′‐Bis(1H‐indol‐3‐yl)methanes in Water

A simple and practical approach for the preparation of unsymmetric bis(indolyl)methanes (BIMs) was realized by Lewis acid InBr₃‐catalyzed Friedel‐Crafts reaction of indoles with 3‐indolyl‐substituted phthalides in water.     

Solventless Mechanosynthesis Of Bis(Indolyl)Methanes

Ball-milling technique as a solvent-free and an alternative green process was investigated for the eco-benign synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes (BIMs) from various aldehydes and selected ketones with indoles in high yields. The present methodology has several advantages such as simple procedure, good yields, mild conditions, and reduced environmental consequences. The silica gel acts both as a grinding medium and an acid catalyst. The utility of this technique was demonstrated by synthesizing library of 17 BIMs including two natural products trisindoline and tris(1H-indol-3-yl)methane.     

Copper-catalyzed synthesis of 2-sulfenylindoles from indoline-2-thiones and aryl iodides

A novel and efficient method for synthesis of 2-sulfenylindole via copper-catalyzed coupling reaction of indoline-2-thiones with aryl iodides has been developed. A series of N-substituted and N-free 2-sulfenylindole were obtained in high yields. Furthermore, the method was employed to synthesis of benzothieno[2,3-b]indoles from indoline-2-thiones with 1,2-diiodobenzene in the presence of CuI and Pd(OAc)₂ as catalysts.     

l-Proline catalyzed domino Michael addition of N-substituted anilines

Here we report l-proline catalyzed 3-component reaction of indoles, aldehydes and N-substituted anilines in water as solvent at room temperature for the synthesis of 3-(α,α-diarylmethyl)indoles. The reaction is in fact a Michael addition of N-substituted anilines to alkylideneindolenines. The reaction is very clean, high yielding and having broad substrate scope. A tentative mechanism is proposed.     

A general method for C3 reductive alkylation of indoles

General indole C₃ reductive alkylation conditions have been developed. The scope of this reaction includes C₂ unsubstituted indoles, aryl and alkyl aldehydes, as well as N-H and N-alkyl indole substrates.     

Glycerin and CeCl3·7H2O: a new and efficient recyclable medium for the synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes

Glycerin and CeCl₃·7H₂O were successfully used in recyclable catalytic system for the synthesis of several bis(indolyl)methanes in good to excellent yields through the reaction of indoles with aldehydes. The method is applicable to aliphatic and aromatic aldehydes, and the mixture of glycerin and CeCl₃·7H₂O can be reused up to five times without special treatment and with comparable yields.     

Efficient synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes catalyzed by(PhCH2PPh3)+Br3-under solvent-free conditions

<正>Benzyltriphenylphosphonium tribromide(BTPTB) has been applied as an efficient catalyst for the preparation of bis(indolyl)-methanes (BIMs) via electrophilic substitution of indoles with aldehydes in the absence of solvent.     

PMA-SiO2–Mediated MCR in PEG-400: A Greener aza-Friedel–Crafts Reaction Leading to 3-Arylmethyl/Diarylmethyl Indoles

A greener approach for the synthesis of 3-arylmethyl/diarylmethyl indoles has been achieved via a PMA-SiO₂-mediated three-component reaction (the aza-Friedel–Crafts reaction) involving indoles, aldehydes, and N,N-disubstituted anilines in PEG-400. A variety of indole derivatives were prepared by using this operationally simple and straightforward methodology in acceptable yields.     

I2-mediated C3-formylation of indoles by tertiary amine and H2O

An I₂-promoted 3-formylation of free (N–H) and N-substituted indoles with tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA) and H₂O as the carbonyl source is achieved, providing 3-formylindole in moderate to excellent yields with good functional group tolerance. This procedure represents an exceedingly attractive alternative to the traditional formylation methods.     

Organocatalytic enantioselective SN1-type dehydrative nucleophilic substitution: access to bis(indolyl)methanes bearing quaternary carbon stereocenters

A highly general and straightforward approach to access chiral bis(indolyl)methanes (BIMs) bearing quaternary stereocenters has been realized via enantioconvergent dehydrative nucleophilic substitution. A broad range of 3,3′-, 3,2′- and 3,1′-BIMs were obtained under mild conditions with excellent efficiency and enantioselectivity (80 examples, up to 98% yield and >99 : 1 er). By utilizing racemic 3-indolyl tertiary alcohols as precursors of alkyl electrophiles and indoles as C–H nucleophiles, this organocatalytic strategy avoids pre-activation of substrates and produces water as the only by-product. Mechanistic studies suggest a formal S_N1-type pathway enabled by chiral phosphoric acid catalysis. The practicability of the obtained enantioenriched BIMs was further demonstrated by versatile transformation and high antimicrobial activities (3al, MIC: 1 μg mL⁻¹).

A highly general and straightforward approach to access chiral bis(indolyl)methanes (BIMs) bearing quaternary stereocenters has been realized via enantioconvergent dehydrative nucleophilic substitution.     

Utilization of flow chemistry in catalysis: New avenues for the selective synthesis of Bis(indolyl)methanes

Flow chemistry enables the preparation of bis(indolyl)methanes from various indoles and structurally divergent aldehydes using Sc(OTf)₃ catalysis. The reaction is regioselective for C-3 functionalization of the indoles, occurring over short reaction times allowing for rapid investigation of scope with straightforward work up facilitating product isolation.     

Highly efficient one-pot synthesis of 1-substituted-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrazino[1,2-a]indoles

A practical and general one-pot synthesis of 1-substituted-10-methyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydropyrazino[1,2-a]indoles is described. The approach uses 2-(3-methyl-1H-indol-1-yl) ethylamine, benzotriazole and aldehydes in the presence of catalytic amount of acid catalysts (AlCl₃, ZnCl₂, ZnBr₂, p-TsOH, CH₃SO₃H) and proceeds in high yields via iminium cation intramolecular cyclization. The mechanism of the observed intramolecular cyclization reaction has been investigated theoretically by means of PM3 semiempirical method and results were consistent with the experimental results.     

Facile Synthesis of Bis(indolyl)methanes catalyzed by Ferric Dodecyl Sulfonate [Fe(DS)3] in Water at Room Temperature

Ferric dodecyl sulfonate [Fe(DS)₃] is easily prepared and can be used as a Lewis acid surfactant catalyst in water to conduct the highly efficient electrophilic substitution reaction of indoles with aliphatic or aromatic aldehydes at room temperature.     

Synthesis and structure of an air-stable binuclear complex of bis(ethylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium perfluorooctanesulfonate and its catalytic application in one-pot three-component aza-Friedel–Crafts reactions

An air-stable Lewis acidic binuclear complex of bis(ethylcyclopentadienyl)zirconium perfluorooctanesulfonate (1a) was successfully synthesized by the reaction of (CH₃CH₂Cp)₂ZrCl₂ with C₈F₁₇SO₃Ag. The complex 1a was characterized by different techniques and found to have the nature of air-stability, water tolerance, thermal-stability, and strong Lewis-acidity. In addition, its solubility was higher than that of our previously reported uninuclear zirconocene bis(perfluorooctanesulfonate). This complex showed high catalytic efficiency, good recyclability, and reusability in the one-pot three-component aza-Friedel–Crafts reactions of indoles with aldehydes and N,N-dimethylaniline. The yields of the corresponding 3-diarylmethyl indoles are higher than those from the traditional Lewis acidic catalysts.     

Copper-catalyzed tandem reaction between imines and alcohols leading to indoles

A copper-catalyzed tandem reaction between 2-alkynyl-N-arylideneanilines and alcohols is found to produce N-(alkoxybenzyl)indoles in good to high yields. A wide variety of substituted N-(alkoxybenzyl)indole derivatives can be synthesized by utilizing this protocol, since the derived indoles are essentially formed by the four-component assemblies of aldehydes, 2-iodoanilines, terminal alkynes, and alcohols.     

FeCl3 as Lewis acid catalyzed one-pot three-component aza-Friedel-Crafts reactions of indoles, aldehydes, and tertiary aromatic amines

A new strategy for the synthesis of 3-diarylmethyl indoles was developed through FeCl₃ as Lewis acid catalyzed three-component aza-Friedel-Crafts reactions of indoles, aldehydes, and tertiary aromatic amines in one-pot. The reactions generated the corresponding 3-diarylmethyl indoles in good yields under mild reaction conditions by using less expensive, readily available, and environmentally benign iron catalyst. It is important to note that the key feature of this reaction is operational simplicity.     

Oxidative Coupling of Benzylamines with Indoles in Aqueous Medium to Realize Bis‐(Indolyl)Methanes Using a Water‐Soluble Cobalt Catalyst and Air as the Oxidant

Oxidative coupling of benzylamines with indoles to bis‐(indolyl)methanes (BIMs) was achieved using an inexpensive water‐soluble cobalt complex, Co(bpb). The catalyst was found to be quite effective when air was used as the oxidant and water as solvent under mild reaction conditions. Aromatic amines were successfully converted to the corresponding BIMs with yields up to 85 %. We have successfully carried out a 1 gram scale reaction, and few pharmaceutically relevant compounds were also synthesised by this method in good yields. Control experiments have also been carried out to understand the possible reaction mechanism.     

Antimony Trichloride Catalyzed Condensation of Indole and Carbonyl Compounds: Synthesis of Bis(indolyl)methanes

A mild and efficient condensation reaction of indoles with various aldehydes and ketones under catalysis of antimony trichloride (SbCl₃) afforded biologically important bis(indolyl)methanes in good yield. The structures of all the newly synthesized compounds were elucidated on the basis of IR, ¹H NMR and mass spectral data.     

Bromodimethylsulfonium bromide (BDMS)-catalyzed multicomponent synthesis of 3-aminoalkylated indoles

Bromodimethylsulfonium bromide (BDMS)-catalyzed three-component coupling reaction between indoles, aldehydes, and N-alkylanilines is reported to access substituted 3-aminoalkylated indoles at room temperature in high yields (82-96%) within 1.5-3.5 h. The salient features of this protocol are the simplicity of the procedure, the ready accessibility of the catalyst, its cost effectiveness, and higher yields in relatively short reaction times.