Dihydropyrrolo[3,4-b]- and dihydropyrimido[4,5-b]indoles

Aromatic aldehydes react with indole-2-carboxylic acid azides under acid catalysis conditions to give the corresponding 3-(-halobenzyl)indoles, which react with aliphatic and aromatic amines to give the corresponding aminobenzylindoles. The latter undergo intramolecular cyclization to dihydropyrrolo3,4-b]indoles at room temperature and are converted to dihydropyrimido4,5-b]indoles through the Curtius rearrangement when they are heated to 80-110°C. Acetylation of the latter products gives N- and O-acetyl derivatives.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 7, pp. 935–939, July, 1982.