Carbazole dicarboxylic anhydrides

Two years later, the same group reported a formal synthesis of ellipticine (228) using 6-benzyl-6H-pyrido[4,3-f>]carbazole-5,ll-quinone (6-benzylellipticine quinone) (1241) as intermediate (716). The optimized conditions, reaction of 1.2 equivalents of 3-bromo-4-lithiopyridine (1238) with M-benzylindole-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride (852) at —96°C, led regioselectively to the 2-acylindole-3-carboxylic acid 1233 in 42% yield. Compound 1233 was converted to the corresponding amide 1239 by treatment with oxalyl chloride, followed by diethylamine. The ketone 1239 was reduced to the corresponding alcohol 1240 by reaction with sodium borohydride. Reaction of the alcohol 1240 with f-butyllithium led to the desired 6-benzylellipticine quinone (1241), along with a debrominated alcohol 1242, in 40% and 19% yield, respectively. 6-Benzylellipticine quinone (1241) was transformed to 6-benzylellipticine (1243) in 38% yield by treatment with methyllithium, then hydroiodic acid, followed... 

Another pioneer in the Diels-Alder reactions of vinylpyrroles was Noland, who also developed the reactions of vinylindoles to yield carbazoles. Some examples of the former are shown in Scheme 2 (equations 1 and 2) [4-7], Jones and his colleagues were equally active in this cycloaddition chemistry of vinylpyrroles (equations 3 and 4) [8-12], These workers measured the rates of the reaction between 1-methyl-2-vinylpyrrole and seven dienophiles, with maleic anhydride being 4800 to 50,000 times more reactive than the other dienophiles (DMAD, maleonitrile, fumaronitrile, dimethyl maleate, methyl acrylate, and acrylonitrile) [8], In a clever tactic to thwart the formation of dihydroindoles, Jones used an excess of methyl propio-late to convert the initial adduct to a second Diels-Alder cycloadduct that subsequently loses ethene by a retro-Diels-Alder reaction to afford the dimethyl 1-methyl (phenyl)-4,7-dicarboxylates (equation 4). The reactions are concerted and were consistent with FMO calculations (HOMO[vinylpyrrole]-LUMO[alkene]). The yields are 54% to 81%, but attempts to dehydrogenate the tetrahydroindole products to indoles were unsuccessful. 2-Vinylpyrrole itself undergoes Michael additions and polymerization with these dienophiles. Domingo, Jones, and coworkers subsequently... 

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