Regioselective 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition Reactions of Unsymmetrical Münchnones (1,3-Oxazolium-5-olates) with 2- and 3-Nitroindoles. A New Synthesis of Pyrrolo[3,4-b]indoles

The unsymmetrical mesoionic münchnones 13 (3-benzyl-2-methyl-4-phenyl-1,3-oxazolium-5-olate) and 14 (3-benzyl-4-methyl-2-phenyl-1,3-oxazolium-5-olate) react with the N-protected 2- and 3-nitroindoles 1 (ethyl 2-nitroindole-1-carboxylate), 6 (3-nitro-1-(phenylsulfonyl)indole), and 17 (ethyl 3-nitroindole-1-carboxylate) in refluxing THF to afford in good to excellent yields the pyrrolo[3,4-b]indoles 15 (2-benzyl-1-methyl-3-phenyl-4-carboethoxy-2,4-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-b]indole), 16 (2-benzyl-3-methyl-1-phenyl-4-carboethoxy-2,4-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-b]indole), 18 (2-benzyl-1-methyl-3-phenyl-4-(phenylsulfonyl)-2,4-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-b]indole), and 19 (2-benzyl-3-methyl-1-phenyl-4-(phenylsulfonyl)-2,4-dihydropyrrolo[3,4-b]indole). In several cases the regiochemistry, which is opposite to that predicted by FMO theory, is very high and leads essentially to a single pyrrolo[3,4-b]indole; e.g., 6+13→19 in 74% yield.     

有机催化吲哚碳环上的不对称Friedel⁃Crafts烷基化反应

将金鸡纳碱衍生物双功能催化剂用于有机催化羟基吲哚与靛红的不对称Friedel-Crafts反应, 筛选出最佳反应条件: 催化剂为5%(摩尔分数)6′-脱甲基奎尼丁(1b), 溶剂为四氢呋喃, 反应温度 0 ℃. 以67%~91%的产率和最高达97%的对映选择性获得了苯环上取代的羟基烷基化产品. 拓宽了该反应的催化剂类型和底物范围.     

Synthesis of cyclopent[bindoles by formal [3+2]-addition of indolylmethyl cations to alkenes

Treatment of indole-2- or 3-methanols with tin(IV) chloride as Lewis acid in the presence of styrenes results informal [3+2]-addition of the indole stabilised cation to the alkene to give cyclopent[b]indoles with a high degree of stereoselectivity; use of methylcyclohexene as the alkene component gave the cis-fused cyclopent[b]indole 17, which was independently synthesised in enantiomerically pure form from the diketone 18.     

Intra- and intermolecular fluorescence quenching in 7-(pyridyl)indoles

Three isomeric 7-(pyridyl)indoles reveal very different, solvent-dependent photophysical properties. Due to rapid excited state depopulation involving intramolecular hydrogen bonding, 7-(2′-pyridyl)indole is practically nonfluorescent at room temperature. In nonpolar and polar aprotic solvents, 7-(3′-pyridyl)indole and 7-(4′-pyridyl)indole fluorescence strongly, but the emission is quenched in alcohols. Syn and anti rotameric forms of 7-(3′-pyridyl)indole are detected, each quenched to a different degree. This differential quenching is interpreted as evidence of enhanced S₁ → S₀ internal conversion being more efficient in cyclic solvates, with alcohol molecules forming a bridge between the proton donor and acceptor groups of an excited chromophore.     

高效液相色谱-荧光法测定多囊卵巢综合征患者血浆中吲哚类物质

建立了一种同时测定血浆吲哚类物质（吲哚丙酸、吲哚乙酸、吲哚与3-甲基吲哚）的高效液相色谱-荧光法（HPLC-FLD）。以液-液萃取法进行样本预处理,采用Shim-pack VP-ODS色谱柱（150 mm×4.6 mm,4.6 μm）分离,流动相为15 mmol/L磷酸二氢钠溶液-甲醇（42：58,v/v）,柱温为30℃,流速为0.8 mL/min。吲哚丙酸、吲哚乙酸、吲哚与3-甲基吲哚在各自范围内线性关系良好。该方法的日内与日间相对标准偏差均小于6.31%,平均回收率为97.5%~107.0%。利用该方法对多囊卵巢综合征（PCOS）患者（n=61）与作为对照的正常育龄期女性（n=25）的血浆样本进行测定,结果发现PCOS患者血浆吲哚类物质显著高于对照组,其中吲哚是PCOS的危险因子和潜在的诊断标志物。该方法操作简便,灵敏度高,适用于临床检测和实验室研究。     

Triethylbenzylammonium Chloride as a Useful and Efficient Catalyst for the Alkylation of Indole/substituted Indoles in Water: A Comparative Study between Conventional and Microwave Irradiation

A green and facile method for the alkylation of indole/substituted indole in water using a phase Transfer catalyst (Triethylbenzylammonium Chloride, TEBA) to synthesise bis‐indolyl methanes (BIMs) and Michael addition of indole to α,β‐unsaturated carbonyl compounds is reported. The substitution of indoles occurred exclusively at the 3‐position and products of N‐alkylation has not been observed. However, for 3‐substituted indoles, reactions were found to occur at the 2‐position. A comparative study between conventional heating and microwave irradiation has also been reported.     

Tandem hydroformylation/Fischer indole synthesis: a novel and convenient approach to indoles from olefins

[reaction: see text] A novel one-pot synthesis of indole systems via tandem hydroformylation/Fischer indole synthesis starting from olefins and arylhydrazines is described. This tandem procedure leads directly to 3-substituted indoles if unsubstituted phenylhydrazine is used and to 3,5- respectively 3,7-disubstituted indoles if para- or ortho-substituted arylhydrazines are used.     

Scope and mechanism of the Pd(II)-catalyzed arylation/carboalkoxylation of unactivated olefins with indoles

Treatment of 1-methyl-2-(4-pentenyl)indole (5) with a catalytic amount of [PdCl2(MeCN)2] (2; 5 mol %) and a stoichiometric amount of CuCl2 (3 equiv) in methanol under CO (1 atm) at room temperature for 30 min gives methyl (9-methyl-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-4-carbazolyl)acetate (6), which was isolated in 83% yield. A number of 2- and 3-alkenyl indoles undergo a similar palladium-catalyzed cyclization/carboalkoxylation to give the corresponding polycyclic indole derivatives in moderate to excellent yields with excellent regio- and diastereoselectivity. Under similar conditions, vinyl arenes undergo intermolecular arylation/carboalkoxylation with indoles to give 3-(1-aryl-2-carbomethoxyethyl) indoles in moderate yield with high regioselectivity. Stereochemical analyses of the palladium-catalyzed cyclization/carboalkoxylation of both 2- and 3-alkenyl indoles are in agreement with mechanisms involving outer-sphere attack of the indole on a palladium-olefin complex followed by alpha-migratory insertion of CO and methanolysis of the resulting acyl palladium intermediate. CuCl2 functions as the terminal oxidant in this palladium-catalyzed cyclization/carboalkoxylation of alkenyl indoles and also significantly increases the rate of reaction of 2 with the alkenyl indole to form the corresponding acyl palladium complex. Spectroscopic studies are in agreement with the intermediacy of a heterobimetallic Pd/Cu complex as the active catalyst in this reaction.     

Oxidative N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed Dearomatization of Indoles to Spirocyclic Indolenines with a Quaternary Carbon Stereocenter

An efficient method for the asymmetric intramolecular dearomatization of indoles by using oxidative N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis is demonstrated. Valuable optically active spirocyclic indolenines bearing an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter are obtained in excellent yields and with excellent enantioselectivity. The starting indoles are readily prepared and the reactions proceed through an intramolecular indole 3-acylation with an in situ generated acyl azolium intermediate to form a spirocyclic ketone moiety.     

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.     

2-Trifluoroacetyl aminoindoles as useful intermediates for the preparation of 2-acylamino indoles

A three-step method was developed to convert N-1 unprotected 3-substituted indoles to 3-substituted 2-acylaminoindoles. Established indole chlorination chemistry was employed to generate stable 2-trifluoroacetylamino indoles, which were subsequently deprotected and selectively acylated.     

Introduction of the pyrazolidine ring into the pyrrole ring of indole

The reaction of indoles with 1-acyl-5-hydroxypyrazolidines under heterogeneous catalysis conditions leads, depending on the structure of indole, to 2- and/or 3-(1-acyl-5-pyrazolidinyl)indoles. Thus, the formation of 2-pyrazolidinylindoles is the results of an unco-substitution at the 3-position of the indole, followed by migration of the pyrazolidine ring.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 9, pp. 1207–1213, September, 1990.     

ZrCl4-mediated regio- and chemoselective Friedel-Crafts acylation of indole

An efficient method for regio- and chemoselective Friedel-Crafts acylation of indole using acyl chlorides in the presence of ZrCl(4) has been discovered. It minimizes/eliminates common competing reactions that occur due to high and multiatom-nucleophilic character of indole. In this method, a wide range of aroyl, heteroaroyl alkenoyl, and alkanoyl chlorides undergo smooth acylation with various indoles without NH protection and afford 3-acylindoles in good to high yields.     

Recent Advances on Direct Functionalization of Indoles in Aqueous Media

Indoles and their derivatives have dominated a significant proportion of nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compounds and play an essential role in synthetic and medicinal chemistry, pesticides, and advanced materials. Compared with conventional synthetic strategies, direct functionalization of indoles provides straightforward access to construct diverse indole scaffolds. As we enter an era emphasizing green and sustainable chemistry, utilizing environment-friendly solvents represented by water demonstrates great potential in synthesizing valuable indole derivatives. This review aims to depict the critical aspects of aqueous-mediated indoles functionalization over the past decade and discusses the future challenges and prospects in this fast-growing field. For the convenience of readers, this review is classified into three parts according to the bonding modes (C−C, C−N, and C−S bonds), which focus on the diversity of indole derivatives, the prominent role of water in the chemical process, and the types of catalyst systems and mechanisms. We hope this review can promote the sustainable development of the direct functionalization of indoles and their derivatives and the discovery of novel and practical organic methods in aqueous phase.     

Nucleophilic reactivities of indoles

The kinetics of the coupling of indole (1a), N-methylindole (1b), 5-methoxyindole (1c), and 5-cyanoindole (1d) with a set of reference benzhydryl cations have been investigated in acetonitrile and/or dichloromethane. The second-order rate constants for the reactions correlate linearly with the electrophilicity parameter E of the benzhydryl cations. This allows the determination of the reactivity parameters, N and s, characterizing the nucleophilicity of 1a-d according to the linear free enthalpy relationship log k(20 degrees C) = s(N + E) (Acc. Chem. Res. 2003, 36, 66). The nucleophilicity parameters thus defined describe nicely the reactions of 1a-d with 4,6-dinitrobenzofuroxan (2), a neutral superelectrophilic heteroaromatic whose electrophilicity (E) has been recently determined. On this ground, the kinetics of the coupling of 2 with a large variety of indole structures have been studied in acetonitrile, leading to a ranking of this family of pi-excessive carbon nucleophiles over a large domain of the nucleophilicity scale N. Importantly, two linear and parallel correlations are obtained on plotting the measured N values versus the pK(a)(H(2)O) values for protonation at C-3 of 5-X-substituted indoles and 5-X-substituted 2-methylindoles, respectively. This splitting reveals that the presence of the 2-methyl group causes steric hindrance to the approach of 2 from the adjacent C-3 position of an indole structure. The N vs pK(a)(H(2)O) correlation for 5-X-substituted indoles is used for a rapid determination of the C-3 basicity of indoles whose acidity constants cannot be measured through equilibrium studies in strongly acidic aqueous media.     

Synthesis of carbazoles related to carbazomycin,hyellazole and ellipticine.

Two synthetic routes to 1,2-disubstituted carbazoles are described. The first involves condensation of 2-alkyl-substituted indoles with 2,3-unsaturated ketones in the presence of Pd/C and molecular sieves, the second is based on the reaction of a 2-vinylic indole with the Vilsmeier reagent. The vinylic indoles were prepared by a Fischer indole synthesis, or via 1-benzenesulphonyl-2-lithioindole.     

Efficient and Straightforward Synthesis of Tetrahydrocarbazoles and 2,3-Dimethyl Indoles Catalyzed by CAN

A simple protocol was established to synthesize 2,3-dialkyl indoles and various tetrahydrocarbazoles via Fischer indole synthesis. This method uses ceric ammonium nitrate as a catalyst for the Fischer indole synthesis with substituted phenyl hydrazine hydrochlorides and 2-butanone, phenyl propanal, and cyclohexanone. This process is a practical synthetic method for the preparation of various 2,3-disubstituted alkyl indoles and tetrahydrocarbazoles.     

Synthesis of indoles via 6pi-electrocyclic ring closures of trienecarbamates

A new method for the preparation of indoles from readily available alpha-haloenones and alpha-(trialkylstannyl)enecarbamates is described. Following a Stille coupling, trienecarbamate 2 is electronically activated to undergo a facile 6pi-electrocyclic ring closure and subsequent oxidation to afford protected aniline 4. Upon deprotection and reductive amination, acid 5 underwent clean cyclization to N-acetylindole 6 (Ac2O, NEt3, 130 degrees C). This method has been used to construct a variety of substituted indoles that are not easily prepared by conventional indole annelation methods.     

Iridium- and ruthenium-catalysed synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted indoles from anilines and vicinal diols

A straightforward and atom-economical method is described for the synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted indoles. Anilines and 1,2-diols are condensed under neat conditions with catalytic amounts of either [Cp*IrCl(2)](2)/MsOH or RuCl(3)·xH(2)O/phosphine (phosphine = PPh(3) or xantphos). The reaction does not require any stoichiometric additives and only produces water and dihydrogen as byproducts. Anilines containing methyl, methoxy, chloro and fluoro substituents can participate in the cyclocondensation. Meta-substituted anilines give good regioselectivity for 6-substituted indoles, while unsymmetrical diols afford excellent regioselectivity for the indole isomer with an aryl or large alkyl group in the 2-position. The mechanism for the cyclocondensation presumably involves initial formation of the α-hydroxyketone from the diol. The ketone subsequently reacts with aniline to generate the α-hydroxyimine which rearranges to the corresponding α-aminoketone. Acid- or metal-catalysed electrophilic ring-closure with the release of water then furnishes the indole product.     

Asymmetric Friedel-crafts reaction of indoles with imines by an organic catalyst

In this communication, we report an asymmetric Friedel-Crafts reaction of indoles with imines catalyzed by a bifunctional cinchona alkaloid catalyst. This is the first efficient organocatalytic asymmetric Friedel-Crafts reaction of indoles with imines. This reaction is operationally simple and, unprecedentedly, affords high enantioselectivity for a wide range of indoles and both aryl and alkyl imines. This establishes a direct, convergent, and versatile approach to optically active 3-indolyl methanamines, a structural motif embedded in numerous indole alkaloids and synthetic indole derivatives.