Benzocarbazoles synthesis

The Bucherer carbazole synthesis was first demonstrated when 7 was heated in the presence of phenylhydrazines 8, sodium hydroxide and sodium bisulfite after acidic work-up, the benzocarbazole product 9 was isolated (-70% yield). When 2-naphthol was used the reaction was significantly slower with the yield of benzocarbazole being only 46% after several days at 130 °C Bucherer and co-workers investigated this reaction extensively concluding, incorrectly, that intermediate products were probably carbazole-Al-sulfonic acids due to the ease with which they lost the sulfonic acid residues to yield benzocarbazoles. 

When naphthyl amines e.g. 23) are used in the Bucherer carbazole synthesis, they are converted by the catalytic action of aqueous bisulfite into tetralonesulfonic acid derivative 13 by the Bucherer reaction. Addition of NaHSOs gives an enamine, which tautomerises to the imine 24 24 is hydrolysed to keto form 13 and subsequent Bucherer carbazole synthesis follows to afford the benzocarbazole product 20. ... 

Most of the early applications of palladium to indole chemistry involved oxidative coupling or cyclization using stoichiometric Pd(II). Akermark first reported the efficient oxidative coupling of diphenyl amines to carbazoles 37 with Pd(OAc)2 in refluxing acetic acid [45]. The reaction is applicable to several ring-substituted carbazoles (Br, Cl, OMe, Me, NO2), and 20 years later Akermark and colleagues made this reaction catalytic in the conversion of arylaminoquinones 38 to carbazole-l,4-quinones 39 [46]. This oxidative cyclization is particularly useful for the synthesis of benzocarbazole-6,11-quinones (e.g., 40). 

The Bucherer carbazole synthesis involves the treatment of a naphthyl alcohol (525) or a naphthylamine (526) with phenylhydrazine (524) in the presence of aqueous sodium bisulfite to afford, after work-up, benzocarbazole (527) (508). 

A, few isochroman-3-ones occurs in nature The importance of isochroman-3-ones however is because they are valuable intermediates for the synthesis of isoquinolines. A most interesting use of isochroman-3-ones is that they provide benzocyclobutenes which are valuable synthons for berbines, spiro-benzylisoquinolines, 3-aryl isoquinoline, benzophenanthridines, benzocarbazoles, yohimbin, tetracycline, steroids etc. 

Indoles substituted at C-3 with butadienyl or styryl groups undergo electrocyclic reactions to give carbazole derivatives. The silyl enol ether (275) can be converted thermally directly into the carbazole (276), as the result of ready elimination of methanol this sequence is crucial for a hyellazole synthesis (Equation (96)) <89CC43>. Several related 3-styrylindole sequences have been developed and differ with respect to the placement of ethyl carbonate groups on the alkene. Both the substrates (277) and (279) undergo photocyclization to the respective benzocarbazoles (278) and (280) as a result of... 

Methods for the synthesis of tetracyclic benzocarbazoles and benzo-b-carbazoloquinone have become relevant to alkaloidal synthesis due to the progress in the chemistry of the kinamycin group antibiotics. 

---