Indoles asymmetric catalytic synthesis

A few intriguing developments in the area of tetrahydro-P-carboline synthetic methodology include the report of a catalytic asymmetric Pictet-Spengler reaction <06JACS1086> and an enantioselective Pd-catalyzed intramolecular allylic alkylation of indoles <06JACS1424>. A one-step synthesis of 1-substituted-P-carbolines from L-tryptophan has appeared that bypassed the tetrahydro intermediate <06T10900>. 

Kadyrov R, Riermeier TH (2003) Highly enantioselective hydrogen-transfer reductive amination catalytic asymmetric synthesis of primary amines. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 42 5472-5474 Kang Q, Zhao ZA, You SL (2007) Highly enantioselective Friedel-Crafts reaction of indoles with imines by a chiral phosphoric acid. J Am Chem Soc 129 1484-1485... 

Davies has further exploiled his previously reporied approach to (he tropanc skeleton related to cocaine based on the rhodium catalyzed decomposition of the vinyidiazomethane 81 in the presence of A/-Boc-pyrroIe (82) <01BMCL487>. Reduction of the non-conjugated double bond followed by A -deprotection and N-alkylation provided substrate 83 which was susceptible to conjugate addition of nucleophiles such as 84 in the presence of CuBr to afford 3-p-aryl tropanes which exhibited potent binding affinity for both the dopamine and serotonin transporters. Additionally, this author described the synthesis of various methyl heteroaryldiazoacetate analogues of 81, (me of which possessed an indole function, for use in catalytic asymmetric cyclopropanations . 

Based on their successes in developing catalytic asymmetric Fischer indole synthesis, List and co-workers further carried out [3,3]-rearrangement reactions of At,At -binaphthyl hydrazines to deliver BINAM products. In this case, (i )-35 was also proved to be the best catalyst. The addition of weakly acidic CG-50 resin as an additive could allow the reaction to be performed at a relatively low catalyst loading (5 mol%). A number of Af,Ar-binaphthyl hydrazine substrates with electronically diverse substituents could be converted to their corresponding products in good yields and enantioselectivity. 

Kanai and colleagues developed an enantioselective synthesis of various 2-(2-hydroxyethyl)indole scaffolds via the amido-cupration of allenes followed by the asymmetric addition of carbonyl compounds. Treatment of allene 88 with a copper catalyst forms a stable and highly nucleophilic allyl-copper species, which then adds into benzaldehyde (89) to furnish indole 90. A range of carbonyl compounds are competent in the sequence, including aryl- and heteroaryl aldehydes, alkyl aldehydes, and aryl ketones. This is reported to be the first example of a combined catalytic indole generation and subsequent enantioselective addition of carbonyl compormds (14CS1585). 

Kuwano, R. Kaneda, K. Ito, T. Sato, K. Kurokawa, T. Ito, Y. Highly enantio-selective synthesis of chiral 3-substituted indolines by catalytic asymmetric hydrogenation of indoles. Org. Lett. 2004, 6,2213-2215. 

Phosphoric acid 25a was successfully employed for mediating enantioselective synthesis of 1,3-disubstituted isoindolines from electrophilic bifunctional substrates (containing an imine and a Michael acceptor site) and indoles [33]. Catalyst 7a was used effectively in an organocatalytic asymmetric F-C alkylation/cyclization cascade reaction between 1-naphthols and a,(i-unsaturated aldehydes to give chro-manes in good yields and select vities (Scheme 3 5.18) [ 10]. Furthermore, 2-naphthols and p,y-unsaturated a-keto ester also reacted in a F-C alkylation/dehydration sequence, in the presence of a thiourea catalyst and a catalytic amount of concentrated sulfuric acid, affording optically active naphthopyran derivatives [54]. 

One additional example of forming a quarternary stereocenter in alkaloid total synthesis by using a catalytic asymmetric Heck reaction was reported in 2005 by Overman et al. The complex indole alkaloid minfiensine 33 exhibits impressive biological activities (Scheme 13.9). It was... 

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