Lithium indole

Lithiation and Subsequent Transformations. Lithiation is the most general means of introducing a 2-substituent on the indole ring. Three intermediates have been used most frequendy in this context. These are 1-phenylsulfonylindole (19), l-/-huloxycarhoriylindole (20), and lithium indole-l-carboxylate (21). 

In a related procedure A -melhyl-o-loluidine can be A-lithiated, carboxylated and C-lithiated by sequential addition of n-butyllithium, CO2, and n-butyl-lithium[5]. The resulting dilithiated intermediate reacts with esters to give 1.2-disubstituted indoles. 

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. 

Sulfenylation of indoles can be carried out with sulfenyl halides[7], disulfides[7-9] or with A -methylthiomorpholine[10]. With disulfides the indoles are converted to lithium[8] or zinc[9] salts prior to sulfenylation. Thiophenols and iodine convert indoles to 3-(arylthio)indoles[l 1]. 

Crystal stmcture data are available for an indole—trinitroben2ene complex (2) and for the lithium and sodium salts in the presence of polyamine Ligands (3). The crystal stmcture of indole itself is evidendy disordered (4). Table 1 gives the and C-nmr assignments in CDCl (5). C-nmr assignments have been tabulated for many other indole derivatives (6). 

Birch reduction of indole with lithium metal in THF in the presence of trimethylsilyl chloride followed by oxidation with p-benzoquinone gave l,4-bis(trimethylsilyl)indoIe (106). This is readily converted in two steps into l-acetyl-4-trimethylsilylindole. Friedel-Crafts acylation of the latter compound in the presence of aluminum chloride yields the corresponding 4-acylindole (107) (82CC636). 

Methylindole has also been prepared by lithium aluminum hydride reduction of 1-methylindoxyl. Compounds giving rise to NH absorption in the infrared (indole, skatole) can be completely removed by refluxing the crude 1-methylindole over sodium for 2 days and then distilling the unreacted 1-methylindole from the sodio derivatives and tarry decomposition products. 

Thus the critical synthetic 1,6-dihydropyridine precursor for the unique isoquinuclidine system of the iboga alkaloids, was generated by reduction of a pyridinium salt with sodium borohydride in base (137-140). Lithium aluminum hydride reduction of phenylisoquinolinium and indole-3-ethylisoquinolinium salts gave enamines, which could be cyclized to the skeletons found in norcoralydine (141) and the yohimbane-type alkaloids (142,143). 

The in situ generation of the carbon dioxide adduct of an indole provides sufficient protection and activation of an indole for metalation at C-2 with r-butyl-lithium. The lithium reagent can be quenched with an electrophile, and quenching of the reaction with water releases the carbon dioxide. ... 

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. 

R" = CH20H). The use of sodium borohydride in place of lithium aluminum hydride did not lead to ring closure but to 3-[j8-(A-l,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolyl)ethyl]indole derivatives (53). Reductive cyclization by means of lithium aluminum hydride of the j8-(3-indolyl)ethyl-l-isoquinoline (52) to the pentacyclic tetrahydro-j8-carboline 49 (R = R = R" = H) has been reported. Strong acid alone sufficed to convert 52 into 54, the 0x0 derivative of 49. ... 

The reactivity of the 1-methyl group and of corresponding positions (i.e., a-carbon atoms) in other l-alkyl-j8-carbolines, analogous to that in a-picoline, quinaldine, and isoquinaldine, is due to the acidity of this center. Deprotonation yields a resonance-stabilized anion (288) which reacts readily with electrophilic reagents. Metallation with phenyl-lithium of the 1-methyl group of a l-methyl-j8-carboline derivative in which the indole nitrogen is protected, first described by Woodward... 

Woodward s strychnine synthesis commences with a Fischer indole synthesis using phenylhydrazine (24) and acetoveratrone (25) as starting materials (see Scheme 2). In the presence of polyphosphor-ic acid, intermediates 24 and 25 combine to afford 2-veratrylindole (23) through the reaction processes illustrated in Scheme 2. With its a position suitably masked, 2-veratrylindole (23) reacts smoothly at the ft position with the Schiff base derived from the action of dimethylamine on formaldehyde to give intermediate 22 in 92% yield. TV-Methylation of the dimethylamino substituent in 22 with methyl iodide, followed by exposure of the resultant quaternary ammonium iodide to sodium cyanide in DMF, provides nitrile 26 in an overall yield of 97%. Condensation of 2-veratryl-tryptamine (20), the product of a lithium aluminum hydride reduction of nitrile 26, with ethyl glyoxylate (21) furnishes Schiff base 19 in a yield of 92%. 

The Mitsunobu reaction was also applied to the synthesis of [ 1,2,4]triaz-ino[4,5-n]indoles (84AG517). Thus, reaction of the 2-acylindoles 127 with sodium borohydride in methanol or with lithium aluminium hydride in tetrahydrofuran gave the corresponding alcohols 128. Their cyclization with diethyl azodicarboxylate in the presence of triphenyl-phosphine gave the triazinoindoles 129. Acid treatment of the latter afforded 130 (Scheme 30). 

Preparation of bromoindoles by replacement of metallic substituents have included oxidation of indolylmagnesium bromide by p-nitrobenzoic acid to give 3-bromoindole (67BSF1294), thallation procedures (illustrated in Scheme 18 also applied to the synthesis of chloroindoles) [85H(23)3113 86H(24)3065 87CPB3146, 87H(26)2817 89H(29)1163], and the use of lithium derivatives. The thallation reactions provide access particularly to 4- and 7-bromoindoles. Quenching the protected 2-lithium derivative of indole with 1,2-dibromotetrachloroethane gave an 87% yield of 2-bromoindole (92JOC2495). 

Introduction of an iodine to C-2 of indole can be accomplished using lithium derivatives. Since direct iodination tends to give mixtures it is essential to activate the 2-position at the expense of the inherently more reactive 3-position. This has been done by lithiating 1-f-butoxycarbonylin-doles (25) and then converting them into iodo derivatives before deprotection (85JHC505) (Scheme 19). Alternatively carbon dioxide can be used... 

Other examples of nucleophilic attack on the oxirane ring include the formation of (3-halohydrins with silica-gel supported lithium halides <96TL1845>, the addition of amines catalyzed by lithium triflate, an ersatz for lithium perchlorate <96TL7715>, and the addition of pyrroles, indoles and imidazoles under high pressure i.e., 91 —> 93) <96JOC984>. 

In 2002, Leadbeater and Torenius reported the base-catalyzed Michael addition of methyl acrylate to imidazole using ionic liquid-doped toluene as a reaction medium (Scheme 6.133 a) [190], A 75% product yield was obtained after 5 min of microwave irradiation at 200 °C employing equimolar amounts of Michael acceptor/donor and triethylamine base. As for the Diels-Alder reaction studied by the same group (see Scheme 6.91), l-(2-propyl)-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate (pmimPF6) was the ionic liquid utilized (see Table 4.3). Related microwave-promoted Michael additions studied by Jennings and coworkers involving indoles as heterocyclic amines are shown in Schemes 6.133 b [230] and 6.133 c [268], Here, either lithium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide (LiHMDS) or potassium tert-butoxide (KOtBu) was em-... 

The study of Fuji et al. shows that the addition of lithium enolate 75 to ni-troamine 74 is readily reversible quenching conditions are thus essential for getting a good yield of product 76. An equilibrium mixture of the adducts exists in the reaction mixture, and the elimination of either the prolinol or lactone moiety can take place depending on the workup condition (Scheme 2-34). A feature of this asymmetric synthesis is the direct one pot formation of the enantiomer with a high ee value. One application of this reaction is the asymmetric synthesis of a key intermediate for indole type Aspidosperma and Hun-teria alkaloids.68 Fuji69 has reviewed the asymmetric creation of quaternary carbon atoms. 

Orders for certain chemicals used to make psychedelics (especially large orders in suspect areas) are sometimes checked by narcs. Indole, lithium aluminum hydride, trimethoxybenzaldehyde, phenyl-2-propanol, diethylamine, olivetol and ergotamine are among those watched. The vast majority of the homologs and analogs described here are, however, legal to manufacture and use. 

Convert indole to indolyl-3-methyl-ketone (I) by treating indolyl-Mg-Br (preparation already described) with acetyl-Cl, by treating indole in POCl3 with dimethylacetamide (Vilsmeier reaction), or by reacting indole with diketene (ACS 22,1064(1968)). 15.9 g (1) in 50 ml methanol cool, stir and add dropwise 16 g Br2. Reflux 1 Vi hours on water bath cool, filter, wash with ether and recrystallize-methanol to get 18 g indolyl-3-Br-methyl-ketone (II). Dissolve 11.9 g (II) in 60 ml warm isopropanol and add 11 g 3 8% aqueous DMA (or equimoiar amount other amine) reflux one hour on water bath. Filter (recrystallize-ethanol) to get 8.5 g indolyl-3-dimethylamino-methyl ketone (III). Add 4.6 g (0.02 M) (III) in 30 ml tetrahydrofuran to 2.3 g lithium aluminum hydride in 50 ml tetrahydrofuran, stir one-half hour at room temperature and reflux two hours. Add a little water dropwise and extract the precipitate with acetone. Dry, evaporate in vacuum the combined organic phases to get an oil which will precipitate with ether-petroleum ether to give DMT. (Ill) should be tested for psychedelic activity. Dialkyltryptamines BCSJ 11,221 (1936), BSC 2291 (1966)... 

Thus, the unsubstituted starting compound 69 was treated with resorcinol in the presence of trifluoroacetic acid (TFA) to yield 70. Then, reaction of 69 with the cyclic a,/3-unsaturated ketone in the presence of lithium hydride gave the 7-substituted heteroaromatic compound 71, and ethyl cyanoacetate afforded the cross-conjugated product 72, whereas reaction with pyrimidine-2,4,6-trione in the presence of triethylamine yielded the addition product 73. Indole also been reacted with 69, and heating of the dichloromethane solution for 90 min in the presence of TFA yielded the addition product 74 in excellent yield (95%) <1998ZOR450> (Scheme 12). 

The double bond in indole and its homologs and derivatives is reduced easily and selectively by catalytic hydrogenation over platinum oxide in ethanol and fluoroboric acid [456], by sodium borohydride [457], by sodium cyanoborohydride [457], by borane [458,459], by sodium in ammonia [460], by lithium [461] and by zinc [462]. Reduction with sodium borohydride in acetic acid can result in alkylation on nitrogen giving JV-ethylindoline [457]. 

---