Iron carbazoles

Syntheses of heterocycles, among them carbazole alkaloids, with participation of tricarbonyl(Ti -diene)iron complexes 99CSR151. 

Another short protocol for preparation of 3 was recently presented by Knolker and Reddy, who devised a short sequence involving a double iron-mediated arylamine cyclization as the key step (Scheme 19). Thus, the reaction of m-phenylenediamine (140) with the tricarbonyliron-complexed cyclohexadienyl cation 141 yielded the complex 142, which was eventually transformed into indolo-[2,3-()]carbazole (3) via cyclization and dehydrogenation (98TL4007 00T4733). 

Tricarbonyl(cyclohexadienyl)iron cations react with a variety of nucleophiles to give substituted tricarbonyl(cyclohexadienyl)iron complexes88 with arylamines, N- or C-alkylation can occur depending on the nature of aryl ring substituents. Deligation of C-alkylated arylamines can be achieved by either ferric chloride, which gives the free arylamine, or by iodine in the latter case, cyclization with concomitant oxidation occurs, and carbazoles are produced in moderate yield (Scheme 52).89... 

A molybdenum-mediated oxidative coupling of aniline 1 with cyclohexene 2a provides carbazole 3. Alternatively, the same overall transformation of aniline 1 to carbazole 3 is achieved by iron-mediated oxidative coupling with cyclo-hexa-1,3-diene 2b or by palladium-catalyzed oxidative coupling with arenes 2c. The use of appropriately substituted anilines and unsaturated six-membered hydrocarbons opens up the way to highly convergent organometallic syntheses of carbazole alkaloids. 

The iron-mediated construction of the carbazole framework proceeds via consecutive C-C and C-N bond formation as key steps [70,71]. The C-C bond formation is achieved by electrophilic substitution of the arylamine with a tricarbonyliron-coordinated cyclohexadienyl cation. The parent iron complex salt for electrophilic substitutions, tricarbonyl[/j -cyclohexadienylium] iron tetrafluoroborate 6a, is readily available by azadiene-catalyzed complexation and subsequent hydride abstraction (Scheme 9). 

An oxidative cyclization leads to the C-N bond formation and furnishes the carbazole nucleus. The three modes of the iron-mediated carbazole synthesis differ in the procedures which are used for the oxidative cyclization [77,78]. 

The carbazole construction using iron-mediated arylamine cydization for the C-N bond formation was applied to the synthesis of 4-deoxycarbazomycin B [84]. The synthesis of this model compound demonstrates also the course of the two key steps which are involved in the iron-mediated carbazole synthesis (Scheme 10). 

The reaction of the complex salt 6a with the arylamine 12 affords by regio-selective electrophilic substitution the iron complex 13 [88] (Scheme 11). The oxidative cyclization of complex 13 with very active manganese dioxide provides directly mukonine 14, which by ester cleavage was converted to mukoeic acid 15 [89]. Further applications of the iron-mediated construction of the carbazole framework to the synthesis of 1-oxygenated carbazole alkaloids include murrayanine, koenoline, and murrayafoline A [89]. 

The iron-mediated synthesis of 2-oxygenated carbazole alkaloids is limited and provides only a moderate yield (11%) for the oxidative cyclization to 2-methoxy-3-methylcarbazole using iodine in pyridine as the reagent [90]. Ferricenium hexafluorophosphate is the superior reagent for the iron-mediated arylamine cyclization leading to 3-oxygenated carbazoles (Scheme 12). Electrophilic substitution of the arylamines 16 with the complex salt 6a leads to the iron complexes 17. Oxidative cyclization of the complexes 17 with an excess of ferricenium hexafluorophosphate in the presence of sodium carbonate affords... 

The total synthesis of the carbazomycins emphasizes the utility of the iron-mediated synthesis for the construction of highly substituted carbazole derivatives. The reaction of the complex salts 6a and 6b with the arylamine 20 leads to the iron complexes 21, which prior to oxidative cyclization have to be protected by chemoselective 0-acetylation to 22 (Scheme 13). Oxidation with very active manganese dioxide followed by ester cleavage provides carbazomycin B 23a [93] and carbazomycin C 23b [94]. The regioselectivity of the cyclization of complex 22b to a 6-methoxycarbazole is rationalized by previous results from deuterium labeling studies [87] and the regiodirecting effect of the 2-methoxy substituent of the intermediate tricarbonyliron-coordinated cyclo-hexadienylium ion [79c, 79d]. Starting from the appropriate arylamine, the same sequence of reactions has been applied to the total synthesis of carbazomycin E (carbazomycinal) [95]. 

The carbazole-1,4-quinol alkaloids are also accessible by the iron-mediated arylamine cyclization (Scheme 14). Electrophilic substitution reaction of the arylamine 24 with the complex salts 6a and 6b affords the iron complexes 25. Protection to the acetates 26 and oxidative cyclization with very active manganese dioxide leads to the carbazoles 27, which are oxidized to the carbazole-... 

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. 

For the quinone imine cyclization of iron complexes to carbazoles the arylamine is chemoselectively oxidized to a quinone imine before the cyclodehydrogenation [99]. The basic strategy of this approach is demonstrated for the total synthesis of the 3-oxygenated tricyclic carbazole alkaloids 4-deoxycarbazomycin B, hyellazole, carazostatin, and 0-methylcarazostatin (Scheme 17). 

More recently, an environmentally benign method using air as oxidant has been developed for the oxidative cyclization of arylamine-substituted tricarbonyl-iron-cyclohexadiene complexes to carbazoles (Scheme 19). Reaction of methyl 4-aminosalicylate 45 with the complex salt 6a affords the iron complex 46, which on oxidation in acidic medium by air provides the tricarbonyliron-complexed 4a,9a-dihydrocarbazole 47. Aromatization with concomitant demetalation by treatment of the crude product with p-chloranil leads to mukonidine 48 [88]. The spectral data of this compound are in agreement with those reported by Wu[22j. 

Despite many applications of the iron-mediated carbazole synthesis, the access to 2-oxygenated tricyclic carbazole alkaloids using this method is limited due to the moderate yields for the oxidative cyclization [88,90]. In this respect, the molybdenum-mediated oxidative coupling of an arylamine and cyclohexene 2a represents a complementary method. The construction of the carbazole framework is achieved by consecutive molybdenum-mediated C-C and C-N bond formation. The cationic molybdenum complex, required for the electrophilic aromatic substitution, is easily prepared (Scheme 23). 

Addition of the arylamines 117 to 2-methoxy-3-methyl-l,4-benzoquinone 118 affords regioselectively the 5-arylamino-2-methoxy-3-methyl-l,4-benzo-quinones 119 (Scheme 37). Palladium(II)-catalyzed oxidative cyclization leads to the carbazole-l,4-quinones 28 [135,136],previously obtained by the iron-mediated approach (cf. Scheme 14). Regioselective addition of methyllithium to the quinones 28 provides carbazomycin G 29a and carbazomycin H 29b [96,135]. Reduction of 29a with lithium aluminum hydride followed by elimination of water on workup generates carbazomycin B 23a [135]. Addition of heptylmag-... 

Deoxygenation of o-nitrobiphenyl (502) to carbazole (1) was realized first by Waterman and Vivian using stoichiometric iron oxalate at 200°C (482,483) (Scheme 5.1). 

Tricarbonyliron-coordinated cyclohexadienylium ions 569 were shown to be useful electrophiles for the electrophilic aromatic substitution of functionally diverse electron-rich arylamines 570. This reaction combined with the oxidative cyclization of the arylamine-substituted tricarbonyl(ri -cyclohexadiene)iron complexes 571, leads to a convergent total synthesis of a broad range of carbazole alkaloids. The overall transformation involves consecutive iron-mediated C-C and C-N bond formation followed by aromatization (8,10) (Schemes 5.24 and 5.25). 

Over the past 15 years, we developed three procedures for the iron-mediated carbazole synthesis, which differ in the mode of oxidative cyclization arylamine cyclization, quinone imine cyclization, and oxidative cyclization by air (8,10,557,558). The one-pot transformation of the arylamine-substituted tricarbonyl(ri -cyclohexadiene) iron complexes 571 to the 9H-carbazoles 573 proceeds via a sequence of cyclization, aromatization, and demetalation. This iron-mediated arylamine cyclization has been widely applied to the total synthesis of a broad range of 1-oxygenated, 3-oxygenated, and 3,4-dioxygenated carbazole alkaloids (Scheme 5.24). 

Despite many applications of the iron-mediated synthesis of carbazoles, this method offers limited access to 2-oxygenated tricyclic carbazoles due to the moderate yield... 

Among the several strategies developed for carbazole syntheses, organometallic approaches to carbazoles have received special attention, since they have led, in many cases, to highly convergent total syntheses of carbazole alkaloids (8,10, 570-572). The iron-mediated retrosynthesis of 1-oxygenated carbazoles 7-11 leads to cyclohexadiene (597) and the corresponding arylamines 598-600 as synthetic precursors (Scheme 5.32). 

The two key steps for the construction of the carbazole framework by the iron-mediated approach are, first, C-C bond formation by electrophilic aromatic substitution of the arylamine with the tricarbonyliron-complexed cyclohexadienyl cation and, second, C-N bond formation and aromatization by an oxidative cyclization. Application of this methodology provides murrayanine (9) and koenoline (8) in three steps and 15%, and in four steps and 14% overall yield, respectively, starting from the commercial nitroaryl derivative 601 (573,574) (Scheme 5.33). 

The retrosynthetic analysis of the 2-oxygenated carbazole alkaloids, 2-methoxy-3-methylcarbazole (37) and mukonidine (54), based on an iron-mediated approach, led to the iron-complexed cation 602 and the arylamines 655 and 656 as precursors (Scheme 5.48). 

Retrosynthetic analysis of the 2,7-dioxygenated carbazole alkaloids, 7-methoxy-O-methylmukonal (48), clausine H (clauszoline-C) (50), clausine K (clauszoline-J) (51), and clausine O (72), based on an iron-mediated approach, led to 2-methoxy-substituted iron complex salt 665 and 3-methoxy-4-methylaniline (655) as precursors (588) (Scheme 5.53). 

Electrophilic aromatic substitution of 3-methoxy-4-methylaniline (655) using the 2-methoxy-substituted iron complex salt 665, followed by oxidative cyclization with concomitant aromatization of the resulting iron complex salt 666, affords 2,7-dimethoxy-3-methylcarbazole (667). Oxidation of the carbazole 667 with DDQ... 

Our approach for the total syntheses of carbazomycins A (260), B (261), C (262), D (263), and E (264), based on the iron-mediated construction of the carbazole framework by consecutive C-C and C-N bond formation, leads to the iron complex salts 602 and 779 and the fully functionalized arylamines 780a-c (607-610) (Scheme 5.84). 

Electrophilic aromatic substitution of the arylamine 780a using the iron-complex salt 602 afforded the iron-complex 785. Oxidative cyclization of complex 785 in toluene at room temperature with very active manganese dioxide afforded carbazomycin A (260) in 25% yield, along with the tricarbonyliron-complexed 4b,8a-dihydro-3H-carbazol-3-one (786) (17% yield). The quinone imine 786 was also converted to carbazomycin A (260) by a sequence of demetalation and O-methylation (Scheme 5.86). The synthesis via the iron-mediated arylamine cyclization provides carbazomycin A (260) in two steps and 21% overall yield based on 602 (607-609) (Scheme 5.86). 

Six years later, we described a considerably improved total synthesis of the carbazomycins A (260) and B (261) using highly efficient synthetic routes to the arylamines 780a and 794 (610). Moreover, this methodology uses air as an oxidant for the construction of the carbazole framework by oxidative coupling of the iron-complexed cation 602 with the arylamines 780a and 794. 

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