Nenitzescu

Olefins and cycloolefins give unsaturated ketones with acyl hahdes (the Nenitzescu reaction) (170). Saturated chloroketones are formed as intermediates followed by elimination of HCl. Similar products may be obtained by using acid... 

DARZENS - NENITZESCU Acylation Zn-Cu catalyzed Fnedel-Crafts type acylation of oleTms with acyl chlorides... 

NENITZESCU Indole Synthesis Indole synthesis trom quinones and amino crotonates... 

P-Thiodiglycol (12, 68) From ethylene oxide and hydrogen sul de. Chichi-babin and Bestuzhev, Compt. rend. 200, 24a (1935) Nenitzescu and Scdrlitescu, Ber. 68, 587 (2935). 

The Nenitzescu indole synthesis involves the condensation of a quinone 1 and an enamine 2 to generate a hydroxyindole 3. 

In 1929, Nenitzescu reported that p-benzoquinone (4) was treated with ethyl 3-aminocrotonate (5) in boiling acetone to yield ethyl 5-hydroxy-2-methylindole-3-carboxylate (6). ... 

The procedure was largely ignored until the 1950s when interest in melanin-related substances and recognition of serotonin as a 5-hydroxy derivative stimulated exploration of the scope of the reaction. Nowadays, the Nenitzescu reaction is one of the most efficient processes for the preparation of 5-hydroxyindoles. 

At least two pathways have been proposed for the Nenitzescu reaction. The mechanism outlined below is generally accepted." Illustrated here is the indolization of the 1,4-benzoquinone (4) with ethyl 3-aminocrotonate (5). The mechanism consists of four stages (I) Michael addition of the carbon terminal of the enamine 5 to quinone 4 (II) Oxidation of the resulting hydroquinone 10 to the quinone 11 either by the starting quinone 4 or the quinonimmonium intermediate 13, which is generated at a later stage (HI) Cyclization of the quinone adduct 11, if in the cw-configuration, to the carbinolamine 12 or quinonimmonium intermediate 13 (IV) Reduction of the intermediates 12 or 13 to the 5-hydroxyindole 6 by the initial hydroquinone adduct 7 (or 8, 9,10). 

The Nenitzescu reaction generally occurs under relatively mild reaction conditions. Moreover mono-, di-, and tri-substituted quinones react with equal facility. Many enamines including p-aminoacrylonitriles, p-aminoacrylamides, and p-amino-a,p-unsaturated ketones react with quinones to form indole nuclei as well. The mild reaction conditions and the availability of the starting material render it attractive even in those instances where the yield of the product is low. ... 

A trifluoromethyl moiety is a strong electron-withdrawing group which dominates the direction of indolization in the Nenitzescu process. ... 

The choice of experimental conditions exerts a major influence on the course of Nenitzescu procedure and thereby determines the structure of the major product. The mechanism demonstrated to be operative for the method can be employed to understand the genesis of certain anomalous products and suggests ways to avoid them, thus increasing the efficiency of the synthesis of 5-hydroxyindoles. 

The Nenitzescu process is presumed to involve an internal oxidation-reduction sequence. Since electron transfer processes, characterized by deep burgundy colored reaction mixtures, may be an important mechanistic aspect, the outcome should be sensitive to the reaction medium. Many solvents have been employed in the Nenitzescu reaction including acetone, methanol, ethanol, benzene, methylene chloride, chloroform, and ethylene chloride however, acetic acid and nitromethane are the most effective solvents for the process. The utility of acetic acid is likely the result of its ability to isomerize the olefinic intermediate (9) to the isomeric (10) capable of providing 5-hydroxyindole derivatives. The reaction of benzoquinone 4 with ethyl 3-aminocinnamate 35 illustrates this effect. ... 

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. 

Recent important developments consist in the synthesis of the unsubstituted pyrylium cation by Klagcs and Trager, the preparation of pyrylocyanines by Wizinger, the development of simple syntheses for alkyl-substituted pyrylium salts by Balaban and Nenitzescu, Praill, Schroth and Fischer, Schmidt, and Dorofeenko, the discovery of a variety of reactions by Dimroth and Hafner, and the study of physical properties by Balaban. 

---