Indoles, formation reduction

The mechanism for the Mori-Ban indole formation is representative of many Pd-catalyzed pyrrole annulation processes [123], Reduction of Pd(OAc)2 by PPh3 generates Pd(0) species accompanied by triphenylphosphine oxide and acetic anhydride. 

There have been a number of refinements to the procedure, both in the enamine formation and in the reduction. Furthermore, the procedure can be adapted to 2-substituted indoles by introducing an acyl substituent on the enamine intermediate. 

Coe et al. reported an efficient modification for the preparation of /-substituted indole analogs for biology screening in good yield. The intermediate P-nitrostyrene 44, prepared from the condensation of 43 with DMFDMA, underwent methanolysis and reduction to provide the aniline acetal intermediate 45. Alkylation of amine 45 was carried out employing standard conditions of reductive alkylation to provide A-alkyl analogs represented by 46. The indole 47 was generated by formation of the oxonium ion (from 46) under acidic conditions, followed by cyclization, accompanied by loss of methanol. 

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). 

This structure rationalizes (a) the formation of mono- and, under more vigorous conditions, tetra-acetyl derivatives, (b) the methyla-tion to a dimethyl derivative still containing two active hydrogens, (c) the pyrolysis back to monomeric indole, (d) the formation of a benzylidene derivative containing the Ph CH=N— Ar ehromophore, (e) the failure to form a simple nitroso derivative, (f) the Zn/AcOH reduction of the dimethyl trimer to base C18H20N2, shown to be identical with the dihydro derivative of (26). 

The second method leads to the formation 3-alkyl- and 3-arylindoles from the reaction of indole with aldehydes in the presence of alkali metal tetra-carbonylhydridoferrate (Scheme 40).67 It is possible that this novel process may occur via reduction of intermediate 3-alkylidene- or 3-arylidene indolenines. 

Cyclization of 2-(l-alkynyl)XV-alkylidene anilines is catalyzed by palladium to give indoles (Equation (114)).471 Two mechanisms are proposed the regioselective insersion of an H-Pd-OAc species to the alkyne moiety (formation of a vinylpalladium species) followed by (i) carbopalladation of the imine moiety and /3-hydride elimination or (ii) oxidative addition to the imino C-H bond and reductive coupling. 

Abstract Aldehydes obtained from olefins under hydroformylation conditions can be converted to more complex reaction products in one-pot reaction sequences. These involve heterofunctionalization of aldehydes to form acetals, aminals, imines and enamines, including reduction products of the latter in an overall hydroaminomethylation. Furthermore, numerous conversions of oxo aldehydes with additional C.C-bond formation are conceivable such as aldol reactions, allylations, carbonyl olefinations, ene reactions and electrophilic aromatic substitutions, including Fischer indole syntheses. 

Alkali metal borohydrides are frequently used for the reduction of rc-electron-deficient heteroaromatic systems, but reduction of jt-electron-excessive arenes is generally possible only after protonation of the systems [e.g. 35-37]. The use of tetra-n-butylammonium borohydride under neutral conditions for the conversion of alkylindoles into indolines [38] is therefore somewhat unusual. Reduction of indoles by diborane under strongly alkaline conditions involves the initial interaction of the indolyl anion with the diborane to form an amino-borane which, under the basic conditions, reacts with a second molecule of diborane to produce the indoline [39]. The reaction of tetra-n-butylammonium borohydride with indoles could also proceed via the intermediate formation of diborane. 

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