Cascades to substituted indoles

This paper describes the synthesis of dithioindoles from the free-radical cyclizations of arylisonitriles having pendant alkynes. Also described is the synthesis of substituted indoles and spiro-fused indoles from the coupling of dithioindoles with active hydrogen-containing compounds.     

A trans diacyloxylation of indoles

A trans diacyloxylation of indoles is accomplished by employing PhI(OAc)(2) as the oxidant. A broad range of functional groups are well tolerated. Both the electronic properties of the N-protecting groups of indoles and the acidity of the reaction media play important roles in the selectivity of indole acyloxylation reactions.     

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.     

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.     

The copper-catalyzed N-arylation of indoles

A general method for the N-arylation of indoles using catalysts derived from CuI and trans-1,2-cyclohexanediamine (1a), trans-N,N'-dimethyl-1,2-cyclohexanediamine (2a), or N,N'-dimethyl-ethylenediamine (3) is reported. N-Arylindoles can be produced in high yield from the coupling of an aryl iodide or aryl bromide with a variety of indoles.     

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.     

Palladium-catalyzed C3-benzylation of indoles

A general method for regioselective C3-benzylation of indoles has been developed. Various 3-substituted indoles and benzyl methyl carbonates with different electronic properties react under mild conditions to afford a diverse range of 3-benzylindolenine products in good yields.     

Efficient palladium-catalyzed N-arylation of indoles

[equation--see text] The N-arylation of indoles, including a variety of substituted ones, has been carried out using bulky, electron-rich phosphines as the supporting ligand in combination with Pd(2)(dba)(3). Using this catalyst system, the efficient coupling of indole and a variety of substituted indoles with aryl iodides, bromides, chlorides, and triflates can be achieved.     

Palladium-catalyzed beta-allylation of 2,3-disubstituted indoles

Given the prevalence of the indole nucleus in biologically active compounds, the direct C3-functionalization of 2,3-disubstituted indoles represents an important problem. Described is a general, high-yielding method for the palladium-catalyzed beta-allylation of carba- and heterocycle fused indoles, including complex natural product substrates.     

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.     

Copper-cascade catalysis: synthesis of 3-functionalized indoles

A three-component reaction of indoles, sulfonyl azides and terminal alkynes afforded 3-functionalized indoles in a single step via copper-cascade catalysis.     

Sulfenylation of some pyrroles and indoles

Methylsulfenylation of 1-substituted pyrroles and indoles was observed using 1-(methylthio)morpholine and an acid catalyst or with methylsulfenyl chloride and excess pyridine. 1-Substituents which are activating or weakly deactivating towards electrophilic substitution such as alkyl, 2-cyanoethyl, dimethylamino, trialkylsilyl, 2-chloroethyl and 2-phenylsulfonylethyl were used. The 2-chloroethyl and 2-phenylsulfonylethyl groups which can be removed with a strong base can be used to obtain 1H-methylthiopyrroles and indoles. 1-Phenylsulfonyl and 1-acetyl substituents are too strongly deactivating for these sulfenylations to be successful. Mono and disubstituted pyrroles and monosubstituted indoles can be isolated from these reactions, however, because the methylthio group is activating towards electrophilic substitution the main advantage of these reactions is the synthesis of tri and tetrasubstituted pyrroles and disubstituted indoles. 1-Methyl-2,3,4,5-tetra-methylthiopyrrole and 1-methyl-2,3-dimethylthioindole are oxidized to the corresponding 3,4-disulfoxide and 3-sulfoxide and with excess oxidizing agent to the tetrasulfone and disulfone, respectively.     

FeCl3-promoted alkylation of indoles by enamides

An efficient iron-promoted alkylation of indoles with enamides has been accomplished under mild reaction conditions. The reaction proceeded with remarkable regioselectivity leading exclusively to substitution by indoles at α-position of enamides.     

The Neber route to substituted indoles

Two complementary procedures have been developed for the conversion of the oximes of alpha-aryl ketones to azirines. On heating, the azirines rearrange smoothly to the corresponding indoles. The overall transformation offers a versatile route to indoles, complementary to the Fischer indole synthesis.     

Reaction of indoles with aldehydes. Synthesis of dihydropyrrolo[3,4-b]indoles

Aromatic aldehydes react with amides of 1-methylindole-2-carboxylic acid under acid catalysis conditions to give 1-aryl-4-methyldihydropyrrolo[3,4-b]indol-3-ones. The intermediate 1-methyl-2-CONHR-3(-X-benzyl)indoles, which are subsequently converted to the indicated cyclic compounds, were isolated. o-Acetyl derivatives were obtained by the action of acetic anhydride on derivatives of unsubstituted amides. Dihydropyrrolo[3,4-b] indol-3-ones were reduced by LiAlH₄ to the corresponding dihydropyrrolo[3,4-b] indoles. A mechanism for the formation of dihydropyrrolo[3,4-b] indoles is proposed.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 11, pp. 1516–1523, November, 1976.     

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.     

6-substituted indoles from o-halonitrobenzenes

o-Chloro- and o-bromonitrobenzenes are efficiently converted to 6-substituted indoles in a four step synthesis, proceeding through o-trimethylsilylethynylnitrobenzenes, o-nitrophenylacetaldehyde dimethylacetals and o-aminophenylacetaldehyde dimethylacetals as intermediates.o-Chloro- and o-bromonitrobenzenes are efficiently converted to 6-substituted indoles in a four step synthesis. R = CO₂Me(H), COPh, Ph, CF₃ and Me.     

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.     

Uncatalyzed Michael addition of indoles: synthesis of some novel 3-alkylated indoles via a three-component reaction in solvent-free conditions

Synthesis of some novel 3-alkylated indoles via an uncatalyzed Michael addition of indoles using three components in one-pot solvent-free conditions is reported. The mechanism was established by performing the reaction in two steps. The reaction was also studied in different solvents and an important solvent effect was noticed.     

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.