Anionic cyclization intramolecular carbolithiation

A novel approach to 3-substituted indolines and indoles via the anionic cyclization of 2-bromo-lV,lV-diallyanilines has been developed simultaneously by Bailey <96JOC2596> and Liebeskind <96JOC2594>. Thus, treatment of 2-bromo-lV,lV-diallylanilines 78 with 2 equivalents of BuLi at -78 °C leads to the formation of the intermediate 79 which may be trapped with an electrophile to afford 3-substituted indolines 80. Aside from ease of preparation, an additional benefit of the intramolecular carbolithiation of <7-lithio-W,Al-diallyl-anilines is the production of Al-allyl-protected indolines, which are easily deprotected using... 

Although the synthesis of dihydrobenzofuran derivatives seems to be not possible by this anionic cyclization methodology, there are some particular examples in which these heterocycles are prepared by an intramolecular carbolithiation reaction. In this respect Baldwin and coworkers described in 1980 the preparation of 350 by rearrangement of 349 when it was treated with BuLi in THF/TMEDA (Scheme 91)151. The most likely explanation starts with an orf/zo-lithiation giving a dilithium intermediate, which undergoes an intramolecular 5-exo carbolithiation reaction affording a 3-lithiomethyldihydrobenzofuran... 

---