Indole derivatives from indolines

The Fischer indole synthesis. The Fischer acid-catalyzed conversion of an 7V-arylhydrazone 42 into an indole is one of the most powerful and versatile methods for the preparation of indoles . The mechanism involves a [3,3] sigmatropic Claisen-type rearrangement of a protonated enehydrazine tautomer 43 to give intermediate 44, which spontaneously cyclizes by loss of ammonia, probably via indoline 45, to an indole 46 (Scheme 27). For unsymmetrical ketones, two isomeric indoles are possible and the general result is that the indole derived from the more stable (usually the more highly substituted) enehydrazine is formed. 

Sakamoto et al. reported the synthesis of hyellazole (245) and carazostatin (247) based on the benzannulation of indoles. This method involves an electrocyclization of the 3-(l,3-butadienyl)indoles 685, which derive from the indolin-3-one 686 and the phosphorus ylides 687 (Scheme 5.59). 

Oxidation of indoles by hydrogen peroxide under weakly acidic conditions (72HC(25-l)l) yields 2,2-di(3-indolyl)indolin-3-one (160), indigo (161) and, to a lesser extent, indirubin. All of the products are derived from the initial formation of indolin-3-one by a mechanism... 

Quite early in the chemical studies of Wieland and King, evidence accumulated that the calabash curare alkaloids are indole derivatives, and with present knowledge it is possible to correlate the UV-spectra of many of them with one or another of the following related chromo-phores formally derived from the indole nucleus by oxidation, reduction, and substitution, or combinations of these processes. They are the indoline (II), 2-hydroxyindoline and the derived ethers (III), iV-hydroxy-alkylindoline and its ethers (IV), 2-methyleneindoline or 1-vinylindoline (Va or Vb, respectively), indole (VI), oxindole or 1-acylindoline (Vila or Vllb, respectively), -indoxyl (VIII), and /J-carbolinium (IX) systems it is not possible to distinguish with certainty by spectroscopic methods between the chromophores III and IV, between Va and Vb, or between Vila and Vllb. 

Johnston demonstrated the applicability of a conceptually novel process for aryl amination using free radical intermediates for the preparation of indoles <010L1009>. In this approach, ketimines derived from o-bromophencthylamines 111 cyclize via a reductive 5-exo radical process to A -substituted indolines 112 when treated with n-BujSnH and a radical initiator. 

Nevertheless, there are several other oxidation (dehydrogenation) routes to indoles from indolines. In a series of papers, Somei and colleagues used sodium tungstate to synthesize A-hydroxyindole derivatives from the corresponding indolines (Scheme 11, equations 1 and 2) [64, 103-107]. The simple l-hydroxy-6-nitroindole [106] and 4-, 6-, and 7-ethoxy-l-methoxyindoles were synthesized in similar fashion [107]. Pedras and coworkers employed the Somei method to prepare the natural phytoalexin methyl l-methoxyindole-3-carboxylate [108], and McNab and... 

Bereman and Nalewajek (72) described the synthesis of dithiocarbamates derived from indole, indoline, carbazole, and imidazole (Fig. 7). Again, the amides are initially generated in dry THF upon addition of potassium metal, and later addition of excess carbon disulfide at —78°C leads to generation of the potassium salts of the dithiocarbamates (Eq. 4). While the indoline and imidazole derivatives are relatively air stable, the others are extremely air sensitive decomposing in a matter of minutes. The potassium salt of the dithiocarbamate derived from 2,2 -dipyridylamine (Fig. 7) has been prepared in a similar fashion, and while air stable, it is extremely hygroscopic (73). 

They are easily prepared from dithiocarbamate and nickel(ll) salts, and examples including those derived from simple amines (587,1472) fluorinated amines (76) amines with (O-hydroxyl groups (1473) indole (341) indoline, carbazole, and imidazole (342) (72) together with those with heterocyclic (72,1116,1126,1424,1474) benzyl (346,1475) and aryl (95,1423,1425,1476, 1477) substituents. Others include examples prepared from Schiff bases (1121), 2-aryldecahydroquinolin-4-ones (1478), tetrahydroquinoline and tetrahydroiso-quinoline (1479), succinimide and phthalimide (49), l,4,7,10-tetraoxa-13-aza-cyclopetadecane (50), 1,3,4-thiazolyl (1426), and 3-dithiocarboxy-3-aza-5-aminopentanoate (343) (1480,1481). A wide range of amino acid derivatives have also been prepared (122,133-137), as have derivatives of glycine, DL-alanine and DL-valine peptide bonded to ethyl esters of a-amino acids (134). 

Aniline derivatives have been used to synthesize the indoline system. A large variety of indoline alkaloid substructures are available in a very efficient way. Enamine derivatives such as 39 bearing electron withdrawing substituents on the olefinic double bond were transformed in high yields (Scheme 7). Two syn/anti isomers 41 and 42 were isolated. The isomeric ratio of the final products was influenced by a photostationary equilibrium between the substrates 39 and 40. The reaction was applied to the synthesis of a variety of derivatives of the alkaloid aspidospermidine." In this context, the cyclization products 43 were transformed into the polycyclic indole derivatives 44,45, and 46. Polycyclic indolone compounds 48 have been successfully produced by cyclization of enaminone derivatives 47 carrying a quinoline substituentIn these cases and contrary to the examples 41,42, and 43, the products 48 resulted from an oxidation of the cyclization product (also compare the formation of 30 in Scheme 5). 

The Hegedus indole synthesis involves one of the earlier (formal) examples of olefin hydroamination. An ortho-vinyl or ortho-nllyl aniline derivative 1 is treated with palladium(II) to deliver an intermediate resulting from alkene aminopalladation. Subsequent reduction and/or isomerization steps then provide the indoline or indole unit 2, respectively. 

A novel procedure for the synthesis of an indole skeleton 81 was developed by Mori s group (Scheme 13).16e,16f Enantioselective allylic amination of 78 with A-sulfonated < r/ < -bromoaniline 79 followed by Heck cyclization of 80 provided chiral indoline 81. The treatment of a cyclohexenol derivative 78 with 79 in the presence of Pd2(dba)3-GHGl3 and ( )-BINAPO gave compound 80 with 84% ee in 75% yield. Total syntheses of (—)-tubifoline, (—)-dehydrotubifoline, and (—)-strychnine were achieved from compound 80. 

JPS 62,490(1973) gives an indoline synthesis which can be carried one step further (dehydrogenation described in this chapter) to give DMT derivatives. See JOC 41,1118(1976) for indoles from betaketosulfoxides. 

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