Reaction of sulfene and dichloroketene with N,N-disubstituted 5-aminomethylene-1,5,6,7-tetrahydro-2-methyl-1-phenylindol-4-ones. Synthesis of 1,2-oxathiino[6,5-E] indole and of pyrano[2,3-e] indole derivatives

The 1,4-cycloaddition of sulfene to N,N-disubstituted 5-aminomethylene-1,5,6,7-tetrahydro-2-methyl-1-phenylindol-4-ones afforded N,N-disubstituted 3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-8-methyl-7-phenyl-7H-1,2-oxathiino[6,5-e]indol-4-amine 2,2-dioxides only in the case of aliphatic N-substitution. The 1,4-cycloaddition of dichloroketene occurred normally only in the case of 1,5,6,7-tetrahydro-2-methyl-1-phenyl-5-piperidinomethyleneindol-4-one to give 3,3-dichloro-3,4,5,6-tetrahydro-8-methyl-7-phenyl-4-piperidino-7H-pyrano[2,3-e]indol-4-one. Attempted recrystallisation, dehydro-chlorination or treatment with palladium on carbon of this adduct, as well as reaction of similar enaminoketones with dichloroketene, gave instead the same product, namely 3-chloro-8-methyl-7-phenyl-7H-pyrano[2,3-e]indol-4-one, as a result of dehydrochlorination, dehydrogenation and subsequent hydrogenolysis of the C-NR₂ bond in the primary adduct.