Macrolactones built from the bis-3,4(indol-1-yl)maleimide scaffold

15, 16, and 17-Membered lactones based on the bis-3,4(indol-1-yl)maleimide framework were obtained using intramolecular esterification reaction starting from 3-(1-ω-carboxyalkyl-2,3-dihydroindol-1-yl)-4-(1-ω-hydroxyalkyl-2,3-dihydroindol-1-yl)-maleimides. 3,4-Dibromo-maleimide, ω-(2,3-dihydroindol-3-yl)alkanoic acids, and ω-(2,3-dihydroindol-3-yl)alkanoles were used as starting compounds. Substitution of Br for the substituted indolines followed by the intramolecular cyclization of O-silylated hydroxyl acids derivatives led to macrolactones that incorporated 4-(dihydroindol-1-yl)-3-(indol-1-yl)maleimide moieties. Indoline nuclei in these compounds were dehydrogenated by DDQ in refluxing toluene to give 15, 16 or 17-membered lactones 3-(ω-3-carboxyalkylindol-1-yl)-4-(ω-hydroxyalkylindol-1-yl)maleimides. Quantum chemical calculations showed that the formation of macrolactones of smaller size (13-membered) corresponds to the higher Gibbs energy ΔG^# and correlates with the absence of the target reaction product.