And the Fischer indole synthesis

Indoles are of some importance in biology and medicine and the Fischer indole synthesis is widely used. Sometimes the complete reaction occurs, as in this example, under the slightly acidic conditions needed to make the phenylhydrazone. More commonly, the phenylhydrazone is isolated and converted into the indole with a Lewis acid such as ZnCl2. 

Zeolites are known to catalyze the formation of various nitrogen-containing aromatic ring systems. Examples include the synthesis of pyridines by dehydrogenation / condensation / cyclization of C -Cg precursors [1], the formation of methylpyridines by high-temperature isomerization of anilines [2], the amination of oxygen-containing heterocyclic compounds [3] and the Fischer indole synthesis [4,5]. The latter synthesis consists (see Scheme 1) of a condensation towards a phenylhydrazone followed by an acid-catalyzed cyclization with elimination of ammonia. The two reaction steps are usually combined in a one-pot procedure. 

Zinc chloride is often a preferred catalyst since it is less sensitive to water, even though its activity does not compare to that of AICI3 (37). Its mild acidity results in improved control of selectivities in the Diels-Alder reaction. It is also used in haloalkylation of aromatics and the Fischer indol synthesis. 

Aromatic Substitution. Several important classes of aromatic substitutions are mediated by ZnCU, including the Hoesch reaction (eq 56) and the Fischer indole synthesis (eq 57). Haloalky-lation of aromatic rings using Formaldehyde or Chloromethyl Methyl Ether is readily accomplished through the agency ofZnCb and wanning (eq 58). ... 

Retrosynthesis a in Scheme 7,1 corresponds to the Fischer indole synthesis which is the most widely used of all indole syntheses. The Fischer cyclization converts arylhydrazones of aldehydes or ketones into indoles by a process which involves orf/io-substitution via a sigmatropic rearrangement. The rearrangement generates an imine of an o-aminobenzyl ketone which cyclizes and aromatizes by loss of ammonia. 

One of the virtues of the Fischer indole synthesis is that it can frequently be used to prepare indoles having functionalized substituents. This versatility extends beyond the range of very stable substituents such as alkoxy and halogens and includes esters, amides and hydroxy substituents. Table 7.3 gives some examples. These include cases of introduction of 3-acetic acid, 3-acetamide, 3-(2-aminoethyl)- and 3-(2-hydroxyethyl)- side-chains, all of which are of special importance in the preparation of biologically active indole derivatives. Entry 11 is an efficient synthesis of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug indomethacin. A noteworthy feature of the reaction is the... 

The Fischer Indole Synthesis and Related Sigmatropic Syntheses. In the Fischer indole synthesis (26) an Ai-aryUiydra2one is cyclized, usually under acidic conditions, to an indole. The key step is a [3,3] sigmatropic rearrangement of an enehydra2one tautomer of the hydra2one. 

A large number of Brpnsted and Lewis acid catalysts have been employed in the Fischer indole synthesis. Only a few have been found to be sufficiently useful for general use. It is worth noting that some Fischer indolizations are unsuccessful simply due to the sensitivity of the reaction intermediates or products under acidic conditions. In many such cases the thermal indolization process may be of use if the reaction intermediates or products are thermally stable (vide infra). If the products (intermediates) are labile to either thermal or acidic conditions, the use of pyridine chloride in pyridine or biphasic conditions are employed. The general mechanism for the acid catalyzed reaction is believed to be facilitated by the equilibrium between the aryl-hydrazone 13 (R = FF or Lewis acid) and the ene-hydrazine tautomer 14, presumably stabilizing the latter intermediate 14 by either protonation or complex formation (i.e. Lewis acid) at the more basic nitrogen atom (i.e. the 2-nitrogen atom in the arylhydrazone) is important. 

In order to allow further transformation to an indole, the carbonyl compound 8 must contain an a-methylene group. The hydrazone 1 needs not to be isolated. An equimolar mixture of arylhydrazine 7 and aldehyde or ketone 8 may be treated directly under the reaction conditions for the Fischer indole synthesis. ... 

The Fischer indole synthesis is of wide scope, and can be used for the preparation of substituted indoles and related systems. For example reaction of the phenylhydrazone 9, derived from cyclohexanone, yields the tetrahydrocar-bazole 10 ... 

In addition to /3-diketones, /3-ketoacids and /3-ketoesters, cyanoacetic ester and related compounds are suitable starting materials. The arylhydrazones 4 thus obtained are of great importance as starting materials for the Fischer indole synthesis, as well as for the preparation of other iV-heterocycles. ... 

When arylhydrazones of aldehydes or ketones are treated with a catalyst, elimination of ammonia takes place and an indole is formed, in the Fischer indole synthesis,Zinc chloride is the catalyst most frequently employed, but dozens of others, including other metal halides, proton and Lewis acids, and certain transition metals have also been used. Microwave irradiation has been used to facilitate this reaction. Aniline derivatives react with a-diazoketones, in the presence of a... 

In a process related to the Fischer indole synthesis, arenesulfinamides 96 underwent thermal conversion into the corresponding indoles 97 via a [3.3] sigmatropic rearrangement followed by cydization and loss of HSOH <96BSF329>. 

The same group also developed an efficient entry to indoles using a combination of a hydroformylation and a Fischer indole synthesis [212]. Under optimized condi-... 

The formation of the indole moiety has found immense attention, since it exists in many bioactive compounds such as the indole alkaloids [302]. Whilst the Fischer indole synthesis remains the most important procedure, during the past few years several transition metal-catalyzed syntheses have been developed. Recently, a Cu11-catalyzed cyclization of anilines containing an ortho-alkynyl group was published by Hiroya and coworkers [303], which allows a double cyclization in domino fashion to provide annulated indoles. Thus, reaction of 6/4-92 in the presence of... 

Buchwald parlayed the powerful Buchwald-Hartwig aryl amination technology [439-447] into a simple and versatile indoline synthesis [448-452], For example, indole 368, which has been employed in total syntheses of the marine alkaloids makaluvamine C and damirones A and B, was readily forged via the Pd-mediated cyclization shown below [448], This intramolecular amination is applicable to the synthesis of -substituted optically active indolines [450], and o-bromobenzylic bromides can be utilized in this methodology, as illustrated for the preparation of 369 [451]. Furthermore, this Pd-catalyzed amination reaction has been applied to the synthesis of arylhydrazones, which are substrates for the Fischer indole synthesis [453,454],... 

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