Catalytic oxidative cyclization using

Oxidative addition consumes one equivalent of expensive Pd(OAc)2 in most cases. However, progress has been made towards the catalytic oxidative addition pathway. Knolker s group described one of the first oxidative cyclizations using catalytic Pd(OAc)2 in the synthesis of indoles [19]. They reoxidized Pd(0) to Pd(II) with cupric acetate similar to the Wacker reaction, making the reaction catalytic with respect to palladium [20]. 

Buchwald-Hartwig amination of p-bromotoluene with m-anisidine affords quantitatively the corresponding diarylamine. While oxidative cyclization using stoichiometric amounts of palladium(II) acetate provides only 36 % yield of 7-methoxy-3-methylcarbazole, up to 72 % yield is obtained using catalytic amounts of palladium(II). The highest turnover for the catalytic cycle is obtained with... 

Reactions of 1,2,4-thiadiazoles with radicals and carbenes are virtually unknown. Catalytic hydrogenations and dissolving metal reductions usually cleave the N-S bond in a reversal of the oxidative cyclization procedures used in synthesis of 1,2,4-thiadiazoles (see Section 5.08.9.4). 

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 phenolic oxygen on 2-allyl-4-bromophenol (7) readily underwent oxypalladation using a catalytic amount of PdCl2 and three equivalents of Cu(OAc)2, to give the corresponding benzofuran 8. This process, akin to the Wacker oxidation, was catalytic in terms of palladium, and Cu(OAc)2 served as oxidant [17]. Benzofuran 10, a key intermediate in Kishi s total synthesis of aklavinone [18], was synthesized via the oxidative cyclization of phenol 9 using stoichiometric amounts of a Pd(II) salt. 

Although cyclizations from the direct anodic oxidation of acyclic 1,3-dicarbonyl compounds have not been reported, the analogous mediated reactions have been studied [24]. Snider and McCarthy compared oxidative cyclization reactions using a stoichiometric amount of Mn(OAc)3 with oxidations using a catalytic amount of Mn(OAc)3 that was recycled at an anode surface (Scheme 11). In the best case, the anodic oxidation procedure led to a 59% yield of the desired bridged bicyclic product with the use of only 0.2 equivalents (10% of the theoretical amount needed) of Mn(OAc)3- Evidence that the reaction was initiated by the presence of the mediator was obtained by examining the electrolysis reaction without the added Mn(OAc)3. In this case, none of the cyclized product was obtained. For comparison, the oxidation using... 

Akermark et al. reported the palladium(II)-mediated intramolecular oxidative cyclization of diphenylamines 567 to carbazoles 568 (355). Many substituents are tolerated in this oxidative cyclization, which represents the best procedure for the cyclization of the diphenylamines to carbazole derivatives. However, stoichiometric amounts of palladium(II) acetate are required for the cyclization of diphenylamines containing electron-releasing or moderately electron-attracting substituents. For the cyclization of diphenylamines containing electron-attracting substituents an over-stoichiometric amount of palladium(II) acetate is required. Moreover, the cyclization is catalyzed by TFA or methanesulfonic acid (355). We demonstrated that this reaction becomes catalytic with palladium through a reoxidation of palladium(O) to palladium(II) using cupric acetate (10,544—547). Since then, several alternative palladium-catalyzed carbazole constructions have been reported (548-556) (Scheme 5.23). 

An attempt to directly convert hyellazole (245) to 6-chlorohyellazole (246) by reaction with N-chlorosuccinimide in the presence of a catalytic amount of hydrochloric acid led exclusively to 4-chlorohyellazole. On the other hand, bromination of 245 using NBS and a catalytic amount of hydrobromic acid gave only the expected 6-bromohyellazole (733). Alternatively, a direct one-pot transformation of the iron complex 725 to 6-bromohyellazole (733) was achieved by reaction with an excess of NBS and switching from oxidative cyclization conditions (basic reaction medium) to electrophilic substitution conditions (acidic reaction medium). Finally, a halogen exchange reaction with 4 equivalents of cuprous chloride in N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) at reflux, transformed 6-bromohyellazole (733) into 6-chlorohyellazole (246) (602) (Scheme 5.73). 

One of the carbazole-l,4-quinones, 3-methoxy-2-methylcarbazole-l,4-quinone (941), required for the total synthesis of carbazomycin G (269), was already used as a key intermediate for the total synthesis of carbazoquinocin C, and was obtained by the addition of aniline (839) to 2-methoxy-3-methyl-l,4-benzoquinone (939), followed by oxidative cyclization with catalytic amounts of palladium(II) acetate (545,645) (see Schemes 5.124 and 5.125). Similarly, in a two-pot operation, 4-meth-oxyaniline (984) was transformed to 3,6-dimethoxy-2-methylcarbazole-l,4-quinone... 

The relay compound 1025 required for the synthesis of all of these 7-oxygenated carbazole alkaloids was obtained starting from commercially available 4-bromo-toluene (1023) and m-anisidine (840) in two steps and 72% overall yield. Buchwald-Hartwig amination of 4-bromotoluene (1023) with m-anisidine (840) furnished quantitatively the corresponding diarylamine 1024. Oxidative cyclization of 1024 using catalytic amounts of palladium(ll) acetate afforded 3-methyl-7-methoxycarbazole (1025). Oxidation of 1025 with DDQ led to clauszoline-K (98), which, on cleavage of the methyl ether using boron tribromide, afforded 3-formyl-7-hydroxycarbazole (99) (546) (Scheme 5.149). 

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