Alkenes, cyclization indoles

Indolylacyl radicals participate in a productive cascade reaction featuring an intermolecular alkene addition-indole cyclization sequence to give the cyclopenta[ >]indole... 

As illustrated in Scheme 6.9, formation of the second ring involves attack of a-alkylpalladium(II) species 20 at the hetarene. An interesting fact is that most examples of an addition of the corresponding palladium species to a double bond involve electron-poor or neutral alkenes. The indole and pyrrole moieties presented in this example are, however, even when bearing a carboxaldehyde substituent, electron-rich species. Considering this, the excellent yield of 91% for the spirocyclizations via two successive 5-exo-trig cyclizations seems even more impressive. 

The final step can involve introduction of the amino group or of the carbonyl group. o-Nitrobenzyl aldehydes and ketones are useful intermediates which undergo cyclization and aromatization upon reduction. The carbonyl group can also be introduced by oxidation of alcohols or alkenes or by ozonolysis. There are also examples of preparing indoles from o-aminophcnyl-acetonitriles by partial reduction of the cyano group. 

Meerwein reactions can conveniently be used for syntheses of intermediates which can be cyclized to heterocyclic compounds, if an appropriate heteroatom substituent is present in the 2-position of the aniline derivative used for diazotization. For instance, Raucher and Koolpe (1983) described an elegant method for the synthesis of a variety of substituted indoles via the Meerwein arylation of vinyl acetate, vinyl bromide, or 2-acetoxy-l-alkenes with arenediazonium salts derived from 2-nitroani-line (Scheme 10-46). In the Meerwein reaction one obtains a mixture of the usual arylation/HCl-addition product (10.9) and the carbonyl compound 10.10, i. e., the product of hydrolysis of 10.9. For the subsequent reductive cyclization to the indole (10.11) the mixture of 10.9 and 10.10 can be treated with any of a variety of reducing agents, preferably Fe/HOAc. 

The unexpected formation of cyclopenta[b]indole 3-339 and cyclohepta[b]indole derivatives has been observed by Bennasar and coworkers when a mixture of 2-in-dolylselenoester 3-333 and different alkene acceptors (e. g., 3-335) was subjected to nonreductive radical conditions (hexabutylditin, benzene, irradiation or TTMSS, AIBN) [132]. The process can be explained by considering the initial formation of acyl radical 3-334, which carries out an intermolecular radical addition onto the alkene 3-335, generating intermediate 3-336 (Scheme 3.81). Subsequent 5-erafo-trig cyclization leads to the formation of indoline radical 3-337, which finally is oxidized via an unknown mechanism (the involvement of AIBN with 3-338 as intermediate is proposed) to give the indole derivative 3-339. 

Cyclizations with nitrogen nucleophiles involving alkynes and allenes have received little attention until recently. The cyclizations of several a-aminoallenes to 3-pyrrolines with silver tetrafluoroborate was reported by Claesson and coworkers (equation 133).264 A similar cyclization to form A -carba-penems has been reported (equation 134).265 Diastereomeric allenes (R1 R2) were shown to cyclize with complete stereocontrol. Cyclization with palladium chloride in the presence of allyl bromide or electrophilic alkenes allowed for the intermediate vinylpalladium species to be trapped by the electrophile.2651 A related product was obtained by cyclization of an alkynic substrate (equation 13S).265 Other examples of 5-endo cyclization of p-aminoalkynes50 include the formation of indoles by cyclization of 2-alkynylanilines with mercury salts200 or palladium chloride,266a,266b,266c formation of 1-pyrrolines with catalytic palladium chloride (equation 136)198 and formation of pyrroles by cyclization of hydroxy-substituted p-aminoalkynes.198,2666... 

Several examples of the cyclization of indole derivatives with alkenic side chains in the 3-position have been reported.6 In these examples, palladium chloride in combination with silver tetrafluoroborate is the cyclizing agent. The palladium tetrafluoroborate, presumably formed, should be a very reactive palladating species and probably is the reason why these reactions proceed at room temperature, although the mechanism is not yet completely clear. These reactions were worked up reductively (by addition of sodium borohydride) in order to reduce the expected alkenic product or any relatively stable organopalladium complexes that may have been formed (equation 4).6... 

The usefulness of Pd-catalysed reactions is demonstrated amply in the total synthesis of clavicipitic acid [76]. The first step is intramolecular aminopalladation of the 2-vinyltosylamide 92 with Pd(II) to give the indole 93. Then stepwise Heck reactions of the iodide and bromide of 94 with two different alkenes 95 and 96 in the absence and presence of a phosphine ligand give 97. In the last step of the synthesis, the intramolecular aminopalladation of 97 with a catalytic amount of Pd(II) gives the cyclized product 99. It should be noted that the aminopalladation is a stoichiometric... 

The INOC strategy has been further extended to include a smaller class of cyclizations known as the intramolecular nitrile oxide-heterocycle cyclizations (INHC) in which the alkene component is either a furan or pyrrole (indole) unit. Typically, the furan adducts are more stable whereas the pyrrole adducts fragment (see (272) -> (273) -> (274)) (Scheme 51) (91JOC896). While the synthetic... 

Generation of 3-indolylacyl radicals from the selenoesters 149, using either /j-Bu3SnH or tris(trimethylsilyl)silane (TTMSS) followed by reaction with various alkenes, offers a route to 3-acylindoles 150. On the other hand, the use of n-Bu Sn2 under irradiation gave cyclopent[6]indole derivatives such as 151 via a cascade involving initial addition of the acyl radical to the alkene, and a subsequent oxidative cyclization at the indole C-2 <02JOC6268>. 

Some mechanistic aspects of the above cascade reaction deserve comment. Thus, after the intermolecular addition of the nucleophilic acyl radical to the alkene, the electrophilic radical adduct A, instead of undergoing reduction, reacts intramolecularly at the indole 3-position (formally a 5-endo cyclization) to give a new stabilized captodative radical B, which is oxidized to the fully aromatic system. (For a discussion of this oxidative step, see Section 1.5.)... 

As the azocinoindole 40 constitutes the tricyclic substructure of the indole alkaloid apparicine , we attempted to improve the cyclization yield. Satisfactorily, the regioselectivity was completely switched to the 8-endo mode when the alkene acceptor was substituted at the internal position by a bromine atom. Thus, cyclization of selenoester 43 led to the desired target 40 as the only reaction product in 75% yield. Clearly, the bromine atom not only sterically prevented the competitive 1-exo attack, but also benefited the cyclization by activation of the double bond. It should be noted that similar halogen-controlled 8-endo cyclizations are known in the literature, but involving amidyl-type radicals <06OL2647>. 

In a final example, Coldham and co-workers have used an azomethine ylide strategy for constructing the tetracyclic ring system of 142, a precursor to iboga alkaloid deethylibophyllidine <07TL873>. In the event, condensation of indole C3-aldehyde and N-allyl glycine in refluxing toluene provided the requisite ylide dipole for cyclization onto a C2 tethered alkene. 

In these heterocyclization reactions, palladium can be used to introduce the alkene group as well as catalyze the cyclization. Reacting 2-hromoaniline with 1-alkenes and Li2PdCLi at room temperature leads to the vinylamtne. Upon heating this product with a Pd reagent at 100 °C, an intramolecular Heck arylation follows to give the indole (equation 95). 

Although mechanistically ambiguous, Williams and co-workers, synthesis of (-p)-paraherquamide B (79) could exemplify an alternative strategy for initiating a Heck cyclization (Scheme 6-13) [281. In this case, indole 77 was exposed to a stoichiometric amount of PdCl2, which potentially generated a 2-palladated intermediate [29]. Intramolecular insertion of the disubstituted alkene and reduction of the resulting neopentyl cr-alkylpalladium intermediate with sodium borohydride provided 78 in 63-80% yield. 

Intramolecular cyclization is a general reaction in the anodic oxidation of substituted amino alkenes. Thus, the already mentioned A-methyl-A-phenyl-1,2,2-triphe-nylvinylamine leads to a new 3/7-indole by anodic oxidation in the presence of 2,6-lutidine [149,150]. The corresponding enediamine undergoes an electrolytic double cyclization to form an indolooxazolidine [149]. The formation of isoquinolines, benzaze-pines, and tetrahydrocarbazoles may also be obtained by anodically initiated intramolecular cyclization of A-benzyl, A- S-phenethyl, and anilino enaminones [Eq. (30)] [158]. 

If the internal nucleophile is an alkenic group, then 5,6-dihydropyridine (Scheme 18) " or 1-pyrroline (Scheme 19) rings are produced. In a recent development of the latter process, the diol (44) follows the same sequence to yield the carbenium ion (45 R = Bn). However, this now cyclizes onto the aromatic group originating from the nitrile component and produces the tetrahydrobenz indole (46) in good yield, with the conventional pyrroline structure (47) now being only a minor product. Compound (46), present as a tautomeric mixture, was rapidly autoxidized to (48 Scheme 20). A further unusual variant of this process is the production of small quantities of the 3-azabicyclo[3.3.0]octanes (49) and (50) from Ritter reaction of l-vinylbicyclo(2.1.1]hexane (equation 32). ... 

Interestingly, Widenhoefer reported a similar palladium(II) catalyzed cycliza-tion of indoles onto alkenes (Scheme 58) [72]. This mild protocol for cyclization/ carboxylation of 2-alkenyl indoles makes possible catalytic addition of a carbon-nucleophile and carbonyl group across a C-C bond. The mechanism, however, is thought to involve outer-sphere attack of indole onto a palladium-olefin complex rather than the electrophilic C-H activation of the indole C(3)-H bond, exhibited by the Stoltz carbocyclization. 

The stereochemical outcome was in agreement with a mechanism for the palladium-catalyzed cyclization/carboalkoxylation of a substituted alkene (Scheme 47) that involves outer-sphere attack of the indole on the palladium-olefin complex I which, coupled with loss of HCI, would form the alkylpalladium intermediate II. 1,1-Migratory insertion of CO into the Pd-C bond of II with retention of stereochemistry would form the acyl-palladium complex III, which could undergo methanolysis to release c/.v-product and form a palladium(0) complex. Oxidation with Cu(II) would then regenerate the active Pd(II) catalyst. 

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