Indole-2-carboxylic acids, synthesis

Indole-2-carboxylic acid, 5-bromo-l-hydroxy-tautomerism, 4, 197-198 Indolecarboxylic acid chloride synthesis, 4, 288... 

In 1897, Reissert reported the synthesis of a variety of substituted indoles from o-nitrotoluene derivatives. Condensation of o-nitrotoluene (5) with diethyl oxalate (2) in the presense of sodium ethoxide afforded ethyl o-nitrophenylpyruvate (6). After hydrolysis of the ester, the free acid, o-nitrophenylpyruvic acid (7), was reduced with zinc in acetic acid to the intermediate, o-aminophenylpyruvic acid (8), which underwent cyclization with loss of water under the conditions of reduction to furnish the indole-2-carboxylic acid (9). When the indole-2-carboxylic acid (9) was heated above its melting point, carbon dioxide was evolved with concomitant formation of the indole (10). 

It has been said that the above procedure cannot be applied to the synthesis of the corresponding nitro derivative, 8-nitro[l,2,4]triazino[5,6-b]indole-3-thione. Thus, heating 5-nitroisatin-3-thiosemicarbazone in aqueous potassium carbonate gave after acidification a mixture of oxotria-zinethione 137 and 5-nitroindazole 3-carboxylic acid (90ZOR1327). 

More recently, Somfai and coworkers have reported on the efficient coupling of a set of carboxylic acids suitable as potential scaffolds for peptide synthesis to a polymer-bound hydrazide linker [24]. Indole-like scaffolds were selected for this small library synthesis as these structures are found in numerous natural products showing interesting activities. The best results were obtained using 2-(7-aza-l H-benzo-triazol-l-yl)-l,l,3,3-tetramethyluronium hexafluoride (HATU) and N,N-diisopropyl-ethylamine (DIEA) in N,N-dimethylformamide as a solvent. Heating the reaction mixtures at 180 °C for 10 min furnished the desired products in high yields (Scheme 7.4). In this application, no Fmoc protection of the indole nitrogen is required. 

Interestingly, the Fischer indole synthesis does not easily proceed from acetaldehyde to afford indole. Usually, indole-2-carboxylic acid is prepared from phenylhydrazine with a pyruvate ester followed by hydrolysis. Traditional methods for decarboxylation of indole-2-carboxylic acid to form indole are not environmentally benign. They include pyrolysis or heating with copper-bronze powder, copper(I) chloride, copper chromite, copper acetate or copper(II) oxide, in for example, heat-transfer oils, glycerol, quinoline or 2-benzylpyridine. Decomposition of the product during lengthy thermolysis or purification affects the yields. 

Chiral butyrolactones of type 27 and 28 have substantial value in asymmetric synthesis because they contain readily differentiable difunctional group relationships e.g. 1,5-di-carboxylic acid, 1,4-hydroxy carboxylic acid, 1,6-hydroxy-carboxylic acid, 1,6-diol etc.) that would be difficult to assemble by existing asymmetric condensation and pericyclic processes. Applications of these chiral derivatives of glutaric acid to syntheses of indole, indoline and quinolinone alkaloids are illustrated in Schemes 16-18. 

The Reissert indole synthesis involves base-catalyzed condensation of an o-nitrotoluene derivative with an ethyl oxalate, which is followed by reductive cy-clization to an indole-2-carboxylic acid derivative. 

In addition, iodine snccessfnlly catalyzed the electrophilic snbstitntion reaction of indoles with aldehydes and ketones to bis(indonyl)methanes [225], the deprotection of aromatic acetates [226], esterifications [227], transesterifications [227], the chemoselective thioacetalization of carbon functions [228], the addition of mercaptans to a,P-nnsatnrated carboxylic acids [229], the imino-Diels-Alder reaction [230], the synthesis of iV-Boc protected amines [231], the preparation of alkynyl sngars from D-glycals [232], the preparation of methyl bisnlfate [233], and the synthesis of P-acetamido ketones from aromatic aldehydes, enolizable ketones or ketoesters and acetonitrile [234],... 

Miki and Hachiken reported a total synthesis of murrayaquinone A (107) using 4-benzyl-l-ferf-butyldimethylsiloxy-4fT-furo[3,4-f>]indole (854) as an indolo-2,3-quinodimethane equivalent for the Diels-Alder reaction with methyl acrylate (624). 4-Benzyl-3,4-dihydro-lfT-furo[3,4-f>]indol-l-one (853), the precursor for the 4H-furo[3,4-f>]indole (854), was prepared in five steps and 30% overall yield starting from dimethyl indole-2,3-dicarboxylate (851). Alkaline hydrolysis of 851 followed by N-benzylation of the dicarboxylic acid with benzyl bromide and sodium hydride in DMF, and treatment of the corresponding l-benzylindole-2,3-dicarboxylic acid with trifluoroacetic anhydride (TFAA) gave the anhydride 852. Reduction of 852 with sodium borohydride, followed by lactonization of the intermediate 2-hydroxy-methylindole-3-carboxylic acid with l-methyl-2-chloropyridinium iodide, led to the lactone 853. The lactone 853 was transformed to 4-benzyl-l-ferf-butyldimethylsiloxy-4H-furo[3,4- 7]indole 854 by a base-induced silylation. Without isolation, the... 

Padwa and co-workers (60,106,107) have been highly active in using carbonyl ylides for the synthesis of a number of bioactive alkaloids (Scheme 4.51). In an approach to the aspidosperma alkaloids, a push-pull carbonyl ylide was used to generate a bicyclic ylide containing a tethered indole moiety. This strategy ultimately allowed for the synthesis of the dehydrovindorosin skeleton (108). Starting from a quaternary substimted piperidone (200), elaboration of the 3-carboxylic acid provided p-ketoester amide 201. Addition of the indole tethered side chain provided a very rapid and efficient method to generate the cycloaddition precursor 203. 

The synthesis of a triptan with a chiral side chain begins by reduction of the carboxylic acid in chiral 4-nitrophenylalanine (15-1). The two-step procedure involves conversion of the acid to its ester by the acid chloride by successive reaction with thionyl chloride and then methanol. Treatment of the ester with sodium borohy-dride then afford the alanilol (15-2). Reaction of this last intermediate with phosgene closes the ring to afford the oxazolidone (15-3) the nitro group is then reduced to the aniline (15-4). The newly obtained amine is then converted to the hydrazine (15-5). Reaction of this product with the acetal from 3-chloropropionaldehyde followed by treatment of the hydrazone with acid affords the indole (15-6). The terminal halogen on the side chain is then replaced by an amine by successive displacement by means of sodium azide followed by catalytic reduction of the azide. The newly formed amine is then methylated by reductive alkylation with formaldehyde in the presence of sodium cyanoborohydride to afford zolmitriptan (15-7) [15]. 

Therefore better methods for the chiral reduction of indole-2-carboxylic acid derivatives would provide an elegant synthesis of this intermediate. A study by Kuwano and Kashiwabara of the reduction of indole derivatives into the corresponding indohnes found that a range of the more common ligand systems gave almost no enantioselectivity but the TRAP ligand gave the chiral indolines in up to 95 % ee for reduction of the methyl ester (B, R=Me, R =H). Further developments are awaited. 

SYNTHESIS A solution of 0.67 g 5-hydroxyindole (indol-5-ol) in 10 ml dry MeOH was treated with a solution of 0.30 g NaOMe in MeOH, followed by 0.70 g benzyl chloride. The mixture was heated on the steam bath for 0.5 h, and the solvent removed under vacuum. The residue was suspended between H20 and CH2CI2, the organic phase separated and the aqueous phase extracted once with CH2CI2. The combined organics were stripped of solvent under vacuum, and the residue distilled. A colorless fraction came over at 170-190 °C and spontaneously crystallized in the receiver. There was obtained 0.90 g (80%) 5-benzyloxyindole with a mp 81-86 °C which increased, on recrystallization from toluene / hexane, to 94-96 °C. A sample prepared from the decarboxylation of 5-benzyloxyindole-2-carboxylic acid has been reported to have a mp of 102 °C from benzene. 

The synthesis of the heteroarylcarboxylic acid chlorides is fraught with difficulties. When isolated, the acid chlorides are generally unstable and readily produce bisheteroaryl ketones (see Section 3.05.1.2.9). Using standard preparative procedures the increase in the acidity of the reaction medium can cause polymerization, whilst the addition of a base can result in the formation of compounds of the type (403) and (404). Attempts to prepare indole-2 -carboxylic acid chloride using thionyl chloride result in the isolation of sulfur-containing derivatives, which arise from electrophilic attack at the 3-position (64JOC178). 

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