3- Diazo-2-oxindoles, reactions

Other useful syntheses of 1,2,3-triazoles include diazo-transfer to enamino-ketones from either sulfonyl azides or S-diazo-oxindole, " and reaction of dichloroacetaldehyde tosylhydrazone with amines, and each of these is illustrated below. ... 

Nucleophilic processes that generate chloroindoles are largely confined to the displacements of oxy functions and Sandmeyer reactions of diazo-nium salts [81 H( 15)547]. A low yield of 2-chloroindole was obtained by a reaction sequence that involved treatment of oxindole with phosphoryl chloride, and then treatment of the Vilsmeier salt with sodium bicarbonate [66JOC2627 86H(24)2879]. It is, however, much better to prepare this compound from 2-lithioindole (92JOC2495). With phosphoryl chloride and dimethylformamide ethyl l-hydroxyindole-2-carboxylate failed to give the expected 3-formyl derivative. Instead there was a 50% yield of the 3-chloro derivative (84CPB3678). Diazonium salts have been used as precursors in... 

The perfluoroacetamide catalysts, rhodium(II) trifluoroacetamidate [Rh2(tfm)4] and rhodium(II) perfluorobutyramidate [Rh2(pfbm)4], are interesting hybrid molecules that combine the features of the amidate and perfluorinated ligands. In early studies, these catalysts were shown to prefer insertion over cycloaddition [30]. They also demonstrated a preference for oxindole formation via aromatic C-H insertion [31], even over other potential reactions [86]. In still another example, rhodium(II) perfluorobutyramidate showed a preference for aromatic C-H insertion over pyridinium ylide formation, in the synthesis of an indole nucleus [32]. Despite this demonstrated propensity for aromatic insertion, the perfluorobutyramidate was shown to be an efficient catalyst for the generation of isomtinchnones [33]. The chemoselectivity of this catalyst was further demonstrated in the cycloaddition with ethyl vinyl ethers [87] and its application to diversity-oriented synthesis [88]. However, it was demonstrated that while diazo imides do form isomtinchnones under these conditions, the selectivity was completely reversed from that observed with rhodium(II) acetate [89, 90]. 

Reactions of Indoles. 2-Arylindoles react with tosyl azide under phase-transfer conditions to give 3-diazo-compounds (148). The phenylazoindole (149 R = N2Ph) is converted into the nitroindole (149 R = NO2) by ipso-nitration. Indoles are oxidized by thallium(III) nitrate to mixtures of oxindoles and isatins. Sensitized photo-oxygenation of the indole (150) yields the hydroperoxide (151), which forms compound (152) on treatment with methanolic potassium borohydride. Vilsmeier-Haack formylation of... 

Rearrangements. A variety of reactions catalyzed by Rh(ll) carboxylates, including Wolff rearrangement of 3-diazo-2,4-dioxo-l,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines leading to oxindoles due to in situ decarboxylation, insertion followed by [2,3]sigmatropic rearrangement and Claisen rearrangement," serve to affirm their synthetic potential. 

There are also excellent total syntheses of spirotryprostatins which do not apply intermolecular functionalisation of the indole 3-position with a C5 prenyl-type precursor and are, therefore, not discussed in detail. Carreira and co-workers started from 3-diazo-2-oxindole, which was used in a Rh(I)-catalysed cyclopropanation of 1,3-pentadiene. The resulting cyclopropane was subjected to Mgl2-catalysed ring expansion and added to an imine affording the spiro[5.5] partial structure [130, 131]. Overman and Rosen built up the indole system by intramolecular Heck reaction of a functionalised iodoaniline [132,133]. In a model study building up the indole system, Cacchi and co-workers synthesised 3-prenylindoles via Pd-catalysed cyclisation of orf/io-alkynyltrifluoroacetanilides with prenyl esters [134]. 

After copper and palladium, rhodium is the third most important transition metal for the synthesis of the indole ring. For a 2007 review on this reaction, see Patil and Paiil [1], Some early examples (Scheme 1) are Alper s rhodium reaction of 2-aryl-2/7-azirines to give 2-styiylindoles (equation 1) [2], Watanabe s Rh-catalyzed Fischer indole synthesis (equation 2) [3], Ucciani s 3-methylindole synthesis via the hydroformylation of o-nitrostyrene (equation 3) [4], and Burst s preparation of 3-acetyl-2-hydrox-yindoles from the Rh-catalyzed decomposition and carbenoid aromatic C-H bond insertion (equation 4) [5]. Narasaka extended Alper s 2-aryl-2//-azirine reaction to a Rh(II)-catalyzed synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted indoles [6], and both Cenini [7] and Alper [8] stretched the deoxygenation of o-nitrostyrenes to give indoles. Burst s Rh-catalyzed decomposition of a-diazo carbonyl compounds was used by Bauban [9] and Jha [10] in the synthesis of substituted oxindoles. 

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