Indoles reaction with alcoholates

As indicated in Scheme 27, indoles may be alkylated by their acid-catalyzed reaction with alcohols. Similarly, r-butylation of pyrroles has been effected by the acid-catalyzed reaction with t- butyl acetate (B-77MI30502), and the diarylmethylation of 1-methylpyrrole from the acid-catalyzed reaction with the chromium trichloride complex of the diarylcarbinol has been described (78JA4124). The alkylation of indoles by alcohols in the presence of the aluminum alkoxide and Raney nickel appears to be efficient for the synthesis of 3-substituted indoles, but is less successful in the alkylation of 2-methylindole (79JHC501). The corresponding isopropylation of pyrrole produces 2,5-diisopropylpyrrole and 1-isopropylpyrrolidine, as the major products (79JHC501). 

Alkylations. The reagent effects reductive Af-alkylation of A -tosylamines and indole derivatives with alcohols. The Mitsunobu reaction of 2-(l-hydroxy-alkyl)-acrylic esters and that of glycals with phenols follow an Sn2 course. The reaction has been applied to the inversion of configuration at an a-cyanohydrin center, whereas alkyl nitriles are prepared by this method using acetonitrile cyanohydrin as the source of nucleophile. The C-alkylation of o-nitroarylacetonitriles at the ben-zylic position is easily controlled. 

Knight explored the C2-lithiation of indole-3-carboxylic acids [326, 327]. Similar to the reaction with alcohol 100, two equivalents of LDA were used to generate dianion intermediates which upon quenching with electrophiles gave 2-(substituted)indole-3-carboxylic acids. This strategy was later used by Fisher... 

Vinyl chloride reacts with sulfides, thiols, alcohols, and oximes in basic media. Reaction with hydrated sodium sulfide [1313-82-2] in a mixture of dimethyl sulfoxide [67-68-5] (DMSO) and potassium hydroxide [1310-58-3], KOH, yields divinyl sulfide [627-51-0] and sulfur-containing heterocycles (27). Various vinyl sulfides can be obtained by reacting vinyl chloride with thiols in the presence of base (28). Vinyl ethers are produced in similar fashion, from the reaction of vinyl chloride with alcohols in the presence of a strong base (29,30). A variety of pyrroles and indoles have also been prepared by reacting vinyl chloride with different ketoximes or oximes in a mixture of DMSO and KOH (31). 

The first indolization of an arylhydrazone was reported in 1983 by Fischer and Jourdan" by treatment of pyruvic acid 1-methylphenylhydrazone 3 with alcoholic hydrogen chloride. However, it was not until the following year that Fischer and Hess identified the product from this reaction as 1-methyl indole-2-carboxylic acid 4. 

LY311727 is an indole acetic acid based selective inhibitor of human non-pancreatic secretory phospholipase A2 (hnpsPLA2) under development by Lilly as a potential treatment for sepsis. The synthesis of LY311727 involved a Nenitzescu indolization reaction as a key step. The Nenitzescu condensation of quinone 4 with the p-aminoacrylate 39 was carried out in CH3NO2 to provide the desired 5-hydroxylindole 40 in 83% yield. Protection of the 5-hydroxyl moiety in indole 40 was accomplished in H2O under phase transfer conditions in 80% yield. Lithium aluminum hydride mediated reduction of the ester functional group in 41 provided the alcohol 42 in 78% yield. 

Whittlesey, Williams and co-workers fnrther developed the catalytic indirect Wittig reaction and fonnd that the more electron-rich NHC present in complex 18 provided a more reactive catalyst [8]. Catalyst 18 was used to convert benzyl alcohol 8 and phosphoninm ylide 19 into the product 20 under slightly milder reaction conditions and in a shorter time than in previous work (Scheme 11.4). Other C-C bond-forming reactions from alcohols using a borrowing hydrogen approach have been reported, with Peris and co-workers using Ir-NHC complexes for the C-3 alkylation of indoles with alcohols [9]. 

Flynn et al., also described the synthesis of the fused indoles [73]. The o-iodotrifluoroacetanilide 110 was coupled to aryl alkyne 111 under Sono-gashira conditions followed by subsequent reaction with aryl iodide, 107 with gaseous carbon dioxide produced the fused indole 158. Lewis acid dealkylation with aluminum trichloride produced the deprotected alcohol 159. 

Somei adapted this chemistry to syntheses of (+)-norchanoclavine-I, ( )-chanoclavine-I, ( )-isochanoclavine-I, ( )-agroclavine, and related indoles [243-245, 248]. Extension of this Heck reaction to 7-iodoindoline and 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol led to a synthesis of the alkaloid annonidine A [247]. In contrast to the uneventful Heck chemistry of allylic alcohols with 4-haloindoles, reaction of thallated indole 186 with 2-methyl-4-trimethylsilyl-3-butyn-2-ol affords an unusual l-oxa-2-sila-3-cyclopentene indole product [249]. Hegedus was also an early pioneer in exploring Heck reactions of haloindoles [250-252], Thus, reaction of 4-bromo-l-(4-toluenesulfonyl)indole (11) under Heck conditions affords 4-substituted indoles 222 [250], Murakami described the same reaction with ethyl acrylate [83], and 2-iodo-5-(and 7-) azaindoles undergo a Heck reaction with methyl acrylate [19]. 

Although the initial report included amine nucleophiles, the scope was limited to activated amines such as indole (which actually undergoes C-alkylation at the 3-position), phthalimide, and 7/-methylaniline. Furthermore, enantioselectivities were inferior to those observed with alcohols as nucleophiles. Lautens and Fagnou subsequently discovered a profound halide effect in these reactions. The exchange of the chloride for an iodide on the rhodium catalyst resulted in an increased enantioselectivity that is now comparable to levels achieved with alcoholic nucleophiles ... 

Macor has developed what appears to be a quite general method for the acylation (protection) of the indole nitrogen using l,r-carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) in the presence of DMAP. Reaction of substituted indoles 98 with CDI presumably occurs to form the imidazolyl amide of indole 99 which upon treatment in situ with either amines, alcohols or thiols affords the desired indole-1-carboxamides, -1-carboxylates, or 1-thiocarboxylates derivatives 100, respectively. 

EXTENSIONS AND COMMENTARY N-Methyltryptamine (monomethyltryptamine, NMT) is an alkaloid that has been found in the bark, shoots and leaves of several species of Virola, Acacia and Mimosa. However, the major snuffs associated with these plant have been shown to also contain 5-MeO-DMT and are discussed there. NMT has been synthesized in a number of ways. One can react 3-(2-bromoethyl)indole with methylamine. NMT can be isolated as the benzoyl derivative from the methylation of tryptamine with methyl iodide followed by reaction with benzoyl chloride, with the hydrolysis of this amide with alcoholic KOH. It can also be synthesized from indole with oxalyl chloride, with the resulting glyoxyl chloride reacting with methylamine in ether to give indol-3-yl N-methylglyoxalylamide (mp 223-224 °C from IPA) which is obtained in a 68% yield, which is reduced to NMT to give the amine hydrochloride (mp 175-177 °C from ) in a 75% yield. The most simple and direct synthesis is the formamide reduction given above. 

Pyridinium bromide perbromide efficiently brominates pyrroles already substituted by electron-withdrawing substituents and also gives a high yield of 3-bromoindole in its reaction with indole. In conjunction with sulfuryl chloride, it has been used in the synthesis of 3-bromo-2-chloro-, 2-bromo-3-chloro- and 2,3-dibromo-indole (81SC253). 3-Methylindole reacts with A-bromosuccinimide in acetic acid to give the 2-bromo derivative which reacts further with an excess of A-bromosuccinimide to yield 2,6-dibromo-3-methylindole (B-70MI30500, 72HC(25-2)127) whilst in aqueous or alcoholic media, 3-bromo-3-methylox-indole is produced (cf. Scheme 15). All of these reactions proceed via the 3-bromo-3A-indolium cation, but the course of the reaction depends not only upon the orientation or... 

Phosphorinanones have been utilized as substrates for the preparation of alkenes,11 amines,12 indoles,5,13 and in the synthesis of a series of secondary and tertiary alcohols via reduction,10 and by reaction with Grignard6,11 and Refor-matsky11,14 reagents. Phosphorinanones have also been used as precursors to a series of 1,4-disubstituted phosphorins.15 The use of 4-amino-l,2,5,6-tetrahydro-l-phenylphosphorin-3-carbonitrile for the direct formation of phosphorino-[4,3-d] pyrimidines has been reported.16... 

In one of the first papers on the subject, Billups et al. (80SC147) reported that the Pd(0)-catalyzed allylation of indole 96 with allyl acetate gave N-allyl- (97) and 3-allylindole (98) plus the diallylation product 99 (Scheme 21). They also showed that the yV-allyl isomer 97 rearranged under Pd(0) catalysis to the C-3 isomer 98, thus indicating that the formation of 98 was thermodynamically controlled (C > N). The work of Billups also includes the use of allyl alcohol instead of allyl acetate in the Tsuji-Trost reaction. 

Singlet oxygen oxidation of 3-substituted indoles in the presence of alcohols followed by treatment with sodium borohydride gives 2-alkoxy-3-hydroxyindolines in high yields. Further reaction with a nucleophile and a Lewis acid forms the basis of a synthesis of 2-substituted indoles (Scheme 70). This represents an alternative approach to CC bond formation at the 2-position of indoles to that involving the reaction of 2-lithioindoles with electrophiles. Isoindoles and indolizines are also preferentially oxidized in the five-membered ring to give phthalic acid and picolinic acid derivatives, e.g., 168, respectively. 

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