Indoles electrophilic substitutions

Although there appear to be no examples of the specific acid-catalyzed rearrangement of 3-substituted indoles to give the 2-substituted indoles, electrophilic substitution of 3-substituted indoles is known to proceed via the attack at the 3-position to give the... 

In many ways the chemistry of indole is that of a reactive pyrrole ring with a relatively unreactive benzene ring standing on one side—electrophilic substitution almost always occurs on the pyrrole ring, for example. But indole and pyrrole differ in one important respect. In indole, electrophilic substitution is preferred in the 3-position with almost all reagents. Halo-genation, nitration, snlfonation,... 

Keywords Indole Electrophilic substitution Nucleophilic substitution ... 

Indoles are usually constructed from aromatic nitrogen compounds by formation of the pyrrole ring as has been the case for all of the synthetic methods discussed in the preceding chapters. Recently, methods for construction of the carbocyclic ring from pyrrole derivatives have received more attention. Scheme 8.1 illustrates some of the potential disconnections. In paths a and b, the syntheses involve construction of a mono-substituted pyrrole with a substituent at C2 or C3 which is capable of cyclization, usually by electrophilic substitution. Paths c and d involve Diels-Alder reactions of 2- or 3-vinyl-pyrroles. While such reactions lead to tetrahydro or dihydroindoles (the latter from acetylenic dienophiles) the adducts can be readily aromatized. Path e represents a category Iley cyclization based on 2 -I- 4 cycloadditions of pyrrole-2,3-quinodimcthane intermediates. 

There are a wide variety of methods for introduction of substituents at C3. Since this is the preferred site for electrophilic substitution, direct alkylation and acylation procedures are often effective. Even mild electrophiles such as alkenes with EW substituents can react at the 3-position of the indole ring. Techniques for preparation of 3-lithioindoles, usually by halogen-metal exchange, have been developed and this provides access not only to the lithium reagents but also to other organometallic reagents derived from them. The 3-position is also reactive toward electrophilic mercuration. 

Directed thallation has been useful for synthesis of some 4- and 7-substituted indoles. Electrophilic thallation directed by 3-substituents is a potential route to 4-substituled indoles. 3-Formyl[7], 3-acetyi[8] and 3-ethoxycarbonyl[7] groups can all promote 4-thallation. 1-Acetylindoline is the preferred starting... 

Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution. The Tt-excessive character of the pyrrole ring makes the indole ring susceptible to electrophilic attack. The reactivity is greater at the 3-position than at the 2-position. This reactivity pattern is suggested both by electron density distributions calculated by molecular orbital methods and by the relative energies of the intermediates for electrophilic substitution, as represented by the protonated stmctures (7a) and (7b). Stmcture (7b) is more favorable than (7a) because it retains the ben2enoid character of the carbocycHc ring (12). 

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. °... 

As for regioselectivity in the electrophilic substitution reactions, we have assumed that introducing a methoxy group to the 1 position of indole nucleus might alter its positional reactivity. 

Indole has a nonbasic, pyrrole-like nitrogen and undergoes electrophilic substitution more easily than benzene. Substitution occurs at C3 of the electron-rich pyrrole ring, rather than on the benzene ring. 

The pivotal step in this sequence is an electrophilic substitution on indole. Although the use of l,3-dithian-2-yl carbanions is well documented, it has been shown only recently that 1,3-dithian-2-yl carbenium ions can be used in a Priedel-Crafts type reaction. This was accomplished initially using 2-methoxy-l,3-dithiane [1,3-Dithiane, 2-methoxy-] or 2-metlioxy-l,3-dithiolane [1,3-Dithiolane, 2-methoxy-] and titanium tetrachloride [Titanate(l —), tetrachloro-] as the Lewis acid catalyst.9 2-Substituted lysergic acid derivatives and 3-substituted indoles have been prepared under these conditions, but the method is limited in scope by the difficulties of preparing substituted 2-methoxy-1,3-dithianes. l,3-Dithian-2-yl carbenium ions have also been prepared by protonation of ketene dithioacetals with trifluoroacetic acid,10 but this reaction cannot be used to introduce 1,3-dithiane moieties into indole. 

Electrophilic substitution, e.g. of the 2-position of the indole ring, followed by the elimination of water leads to the formation of cyanin dyes from ergot alkaloids [53]. 

Dimethylamino)-benzaldehyde reacts in acidic medium, e.g. with the indole ring of cyclopiazione or ergot alkaloids and forms a cyanin dyestuff by electrophilic substitution in the 2-position followed by the elimination of water [12, 17]. 

A paper concerned with the synthesis of pyridazino[3,4-fe]indoles 18 included a study of various conversions of 4,5-dichloro-2-methylpyridazin-3-one 17 including nucleophilic substitutions, Suzuki reactions and electrophilic substitution (nitration), combined with reductive dehalogenation, and usefully summarised previous work <06T121>. 

Indolizine is an electron-rich system and its reactions involve mainly electrophilic substitutions, which occur about as readily as for indole and go preferentially at the C-3 position, but may also take place at the C-l. Consistent with their similarity with pyrroles rather than pyridines, indolizines are not attacked by nucleophiles nor are there examples of nucleophilic displacement of halide-substituted systems. 

Indolizine is much more basic than indole (p Ta = 3.9 vs. —3.5), and the stability of the cation makes it less reactive and resistant to acid-catalyzed polymerization. Protonation occurs at C-3, although 3-methylindolizine protonates also at C-l. Introduction of methyl groups raises the basicity of indolizines. Electrophilic substitutions such as acylation, Vilsmeyer formylation, and diazo-coupling all take place at C-3. Nitration of 2-methylindolizine under mild conditions results in substitution at C-3, but under strongly acidic conditions it takes place at C-l, presumably via attack on the indolizinium cation. However, the nitration of indolizines often can provoke oxidation processes. 

The double iron-mediated arylamine cyclization provides a highly convergent route to indolo[2,3-fc]carbazole (Scheme 16). Double electrophilic substitution of m-phenylenediamine 34 by reaction with the complex salt 6a affords the diiron complex 35, which on oxidative cyclization using iodine in pyridine leads to indolo[2,3-b]carbazole 36 [98].Thus,ithasbeen demonstrated that the bidirectional annulation of two indole rings can be applied to the synthesis of indolocarbazoles. 

Wang et al. investigated the catalytic behavior of cation exchange resin supported lanthanide(III) salts of the general structure (31) (Scheme 4.15), prepared from Dowex, Amberlite, Amberlyst and other resins [99]. It turned out that Am-berlyst XN-1010 and Amberlyst 15 complexed best with lanthanides(III). Thus, among others, electrophilic substitution of indole with hexanal and Mukayiama-type aldol reaction of benzaldehyde with ketene silyl acetal proceeded in excellent yields under catalytic conditions (Scheme 4.16). 

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