Indole mechanisms

Iwakawa et al. studied the reaction of 3-acetonyl-5-cyano-l,2,4-thiadiazole 72 with a series of 4-substituted phenylhydrazine hydrochlorides. When electron-donating substituents were used (e.g., methyl and methoxy) in the phenyl ring of the hydrazine, the reaction proceeded via a Fischer-indole mechanism to give indoles 73 as the sole product. In contrast, reaction of 72 with phenylhydrazine and 4-chlorophenylhydrazine gave only small amounts of indole 72, but much higher yields of the pyrazole 74. The authors described in detail the respective reaction mechanisms... 

Several key pieces of the mechanistic puzzle that encompass the Fischer indolization mechanism are depicted in Scheme 4 [45 8], The reader is advised to consult the relevant references for further examples and details [49],... 

Figure 1. S3mthesis of 3,3-dimethyl-2-amide indoles mechanism [12]...

For the mechanism of this reaction, see Robinson and Robinson,1918, H3i 639 1924, 145, 827.) The reaction is of wide application for example, the use of methyl-phenyl-hydrazine, CsH5(CHj)> -iN H, in the above reaction gives i-methyl-2-phenylindole, whereas pyruvic acid, CH CO COOH, when converted to its phenylhydrazone and then indolised, gives indole-2-carboxylic... 

An important general method of preparing indoles, known as the Fischer Indole synthesis, consists in heating the phenylhydrazone of an aldehyde, ketone or keto-acld in the presence of a catalyst such as zinc chloride, hydrochloric acid or glacial acetic acid. Thus acrtophenone phenylhydrazone (I) gives 2-phenyllndole (I V). The synthesis involves an intramolecular condensation with the elimination of ammonia. The following is a plausible mechanism of the reaction ... 

This reactivity pattern underlies a group of important synthetic methods in which an a-substituent is displaced by a nucleophile by an elimination-addition mechanism. Even substituents which are normally poor leaving groups, such as alkoxy and dialkylamino, are readily displaced in the indole series. 

The mechanism of the Fischer cyclization outlined in equation 7.1 has been supported by spectroscopic observation of various intermediates[4] and by isolation of examples of intermediates in specialized structures[5]. In particular, it has been possible to isolate enehydrazines under neutral conditions and to demonstrate their conversion to indoles under the influence of acid cata-lysts[6]. 

Lithiation at C2 can also be the starting point for 2-arylatioii or vinylation. The lithiated indoles can be converted to stannanes or zinc reagents which can undergo Pd-catalysed coupling with aryl, vinyl, benzyl and allyl halides or sulfonates. The mechanism of the coupling reaction involves formation of a disubstituted palladium intermediate by a combination of ligand exchange and oxidative addition. Phosphine catalysts and salts are often important reaction components. 

The oxidation of 3-substituted indole to oxindoles can also be done with a mixture of DMSO and cone, hydrochloric acid[6-9]. This reaction probably involves a mechanism similar to the halogenation with a protonated DMSO molecule serving as the electrophile[10]. 

A -Methylation of the NH of heterocycles using 1 is also known as exemplified by the methylation of indole/ The interesting mechanism is delineated below. O-methylation of weak acids such as phenols, carboxylic acids and oximes as well as 5-methylation such as A -phenylisorhodanine, certain thioketones, and dithiocarboxylic acids have also been reported." ... 

The aforementioned mechanism is supported by the following experimental data. When oxime 13 was treated with Grignard reagent, 3% of the indole 15 was isolated, indicating the possible existence of nitrene intermediate 14. A 2-phenylazirine intermediate, on the other hand, has been isolated and characterized from the reaction under carefully controlled conditions (adding Grignard reagent to the oxime in toluene). ... 

A number of reaction pathways have been proposed for the Fischer indolization reaction. The mechanism proposed by Robinson and Robinson in 1918, which was extended by Allen and Wilson in 1943 and interpreted in light of modem electronic theory by Carlin and Fischer in 1948 is now generally accepted. The mechanism consists of three stages (I) hydrazone-ene-hydrazine equilibrium (II) formation of the new C-C bond via a [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement (III) generation of the indole nucleus by loss of... 

A large number of Brpnsted and Lewis acid catalysts have been employed in the Fischer indole synthesis. Only a few have been found to be sufficiently useful for general use. It is worth noting that some Fischer indolizations are unsuccessful simply due to the sensitivity of the reaction intermediates or products under acidic conditions. In many such cases the thermal indolization process may be of use if the reaction intermediates or products are thermally stable (vide infra). If the products (intermediates) are labile to either thermal or acidic conditions, the use of pyridine chloride in pyridine or biphasic conditions are employed. The general mechanism for the acid catalyzed reaction is believed to be facilitated by the equilibrium between the aryl-hydrazone 13 (R = FF or Lewis acid) and the ene-hydrazine tautomer 14, presumably stabilizing the latter intermediate 14 by either protonation or complex formation (i.e. Lewis acid) at the more basic nitrogen atom (i.e. the 2-nitrogen atom in the arylhydrazone) is important. 

During indolization of the 3, 6 and 7-quinolylhydrazones, formation of the new C-C bond occurs between the appropriate carbon atom of the ketone/aldehyde moiety and the 4, 5 and 8 carbon atoms of the quinoline nucleus. It is consistent with the mechanism of formation of the C-C bond during indolization and the direction of electrophilic substitution in the quinoline nucleus. °... 

In 1974, Gassman et al. reported a general method for the synthesis of indoles. For example, aniline 5 was reacted sequentially with r-BuOCl, methylthio-2-propanone 6 and triethylamine to yield methylthioindole 7 in 69% yield. The Raney-nickel mediated desulfurization of 7 then provided 2-methylindole 8 in 79% yield. The scope and mechanism of the process were discussed in the same report by Gassman and coworkers as well. 

The mechanism of the indolization of aniline 5 with methylthio-2-propanone 6 is illustrated below. Aniline 5 reacts with f-BuOCl to provide A-chloroaniline 9. This chloroaniline 9 reacts with sulfide 6 to yield azasulfonium salt 10. Deprotonation of the carbon atom adjacent to the sulfur provides the ylide 11. Intramolecular attack of the nucleophilic portion of the ylide 11 in a Sommelet-Hauser type rearrangement produces 12. Proton transfer and re-aromatization leads to 13 after which intramolecular addition of the amine to the carbonyl function generates the carbinolamine 14. Dehydration of 14 by prototropic rearrangement eventually furnishes the indole 8. 

Many 3-substituted indoles have also been prepared with the use of a-alkyl or a-aryl-p-keto sulfides. Thus indolization of aniline 5 with 3-methylthio-2-butanone 27 furnished indolenine 28, presumably via the same mechanism discussed earlier. The indolenine 28 was relatively unstable and reduced to the indole 29 without purification. Tetrahydrocarbazole 32 was prepared in 58% overall yield. Smith et al. made excellent use of the Gassman process in the total synthesis of (-i-)-paspalicine and (+)-paspalinine. ... 

The mechanism of the Madelung indole synthesis has not been fully established. An intramolecular Claisen type condensation is presumably involved in the process. ... 

At least two pathways have been proposed for the Nenitzescu reaction. The mechanism outlined below is generally accepted." Illustrated here is the indolization of the 1,4-benzoquinone (4) with ethyl 3-aminocrotonate (5). The mechanism consists of four stages (I) Michael addition of the carbon terminal of the enamine 5 to quinone 4 (II) Oxidation of the resulting hydroquinone 10 to the quinone 11 either by the starting quinone 4 or the quinonimmonium intermediate 13, which is generated at a later stage (HI) Cyclization of the quinone adduct 11, if in the cw-configuration, to the carbinolamine 12 or quinonimmonium intermediate 13 (IV) Reduction of the intermediates 12 or 13 to the 5-hydroxyindole 6 by the initial hydroquinone adduct 7 (or 8, 9,10). 

Bischler-Napieralski reactions of N-acyl tryptamine derivatives 16 are believed to proceed via a related mechanism involving the initial formation of intermediate spiroindolenines (17) that rearrange to the observed 2-carboline products (18). The presence of these intermediates has been inferred by the observation of dimerized products that are presumably formed by the intermolecular trapping of the spiroindolenine by unreacted indole present in the reaction mixture." ... 

The Pictet-Spengler condensation of indole bases and carbonyl compounds to form 3-carbolines involves a slightly different mechanism than the isoquinoline... 

The mechanism for the formations of 83, 85, and 93 can be explained as illustrated in Scheme 13. Initial deprotonation of the 1-methoxy group of 82 liberates formaldehyde and an indolyl anion 95, and then protonation of 95 affords 83. Following the reaction path a, 95 reacts with formaldehyde to produce indole-3-methanol 96. Unstable 96 collapses into 3-methyleneindolenine 97, which adds... 

Two reaction mechanisms, such as SN1 and SN2 mechanisms, seem to be possible for explaining formations of 158a-c (Scheme 25). The former requires a resonance-stabilized indolyl cation 165 as an intermediate, while the latter indicates the presence of a transition state like 167. The introduction of a methoxy group into the 5 position of 165 should stabilize the corresponding cation 166, in which nucleophilic substitution on indole nitrogen would become a predominant pathway. 

Indole itself forms a dimer or a trimer, depending on experimental conditions the dimer hydrochloride is formed in aprotic solvents with dry HCl, whereas aqueous media lead to dimer or trimer, or both. It was Schmitz-DuMont and his collaborators who beautifully cleared up the experimental confusion and discovered the simple fact that in aqueous acid the composition of the product is dictated by the relative solubilities of the dimer and trimer hydrochlorides/ -This, of course, established the very important point that there is an equilibrium in solution among indole, the dimer, the trimer, and their salts. It was furthermore demonstrated that the polymerization mechanism involves acid catalysis and that in dilute solution the rate of reaction is dependent on the concentration of acid. 

---