O-Nitrobenzyl ketones

One route to o-nitrobenzyl ketones is by acylation of carbon nucleophiles by o-nitrophenylacetyl chloride. This reaction has been applied to such nucleophiles as diethyl malonatc[l], methyl acetoacetate[2], Meldrum s acid[3] and enamines[4]. The procedure given below for ethyl indole-2-acetate is a good example of this methodology. Acylation of u-nitrobenzyl anions, as illustrated by the reaction with diethyl oxalate in the classic Reissert procedure for preparing indolc-2-carboxylate esters[5], is another route to o-nitrobenzyl ketones. The o-nitrophenyl enamines generated in the first step of the Leimgruber-Batcho synthesis (see Section 2.1) are also potential substrates for C-acylation[6,7], Deformylation and reduction leads to 2-sub-stituted indoles. 

A similar synthesis starting with l-(2-nitrobenzyl)pyrrol-2-aldehyde used ethanol-ethyl acetate as solvent (62). Indoles are prepared in excellent yield by hydrogenation of o-nitrobenzyl ketones over Pd-on-C (i). Azaindoles are correspondingly prepared from nitropyridines (97). 

In general, any o-nitrobenzyl ketone or o-aminobenzyl ketone can be converted to a 2-substituted indole. There are a variety of specific examples of such syntheses, although there are not any truly general means of generating these kinds of starting materials. 

The development of a new synthesis of 1-hydroxyindoles 131, via a lead-promoted intramolecular reductive cyclization of the o-nitrobenzyl ketones (or aldehydes) 132 in the presence of tetraethylammonium formate (TEAF), offers a new useful route to this interesting class of compounds <03JOC9865>. 

If other active groups are present y or S to the reducible nitro group, hydrogenation can result in formation of nitrogen heterocyclic products. Several such cyclizations provide an entry to indoles, such as reductive cyclizations of dinitrostyrene 1 [equation (a)], of o-nitrobenzyl ketone 2 [equation (b)], and of nitro nitrile 3 [equation (c)] , all of them carried out on palladium-on-carbon. 

There are several procedures by which o-nitrobenzyl ketones can be obtained. Enolates and enamines can be acylated with o-nitrophenylacetyl chloride. For example, the enamine intermediates from the Leimgruber-Batcho procedure can be acylated prior to reduction to give 2-substituted indoles (Scheme 16) <74JHC291>. Acylation followed by alkylation at the benzylic position leads to 2,3-disubstituted indoles (Scheme 17) <91G499>. 

Several versions of palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions have been used to convert o-nitroaryl halides to o-nitrophenylacetaldehydes or o-nitrobenzyl ketones. Coupling with trimethylsilylethyne gives aryl alkynes which can be converted to o-nitrophenylacetaldehyde enol ethers by sodium ethoxide (Scheme 21) <86CPB2362>. 

The indole nucleus is present in various bioactive molecules and many selective protocols for its construction have been developed. Classical methods for the indole synthesis include the Fischer indole synthesis, the Batcho-Leimgruber synthesis from o-nitrotoluenes and dimethylformamide acetals, the Gassman synthesis from N-haloanilines, the reductive cyclization of o-nitrobenzyl ketones, and the Madelung cyclization of A/ -acyl-o-toluidines [42,43]. 

The final step can involve introduction of the amino group or of the carbonyl group. o-Nitrobenzyl aldehydes and ketones are useful intermediates which undergo cyclization and aromatization upon reduction. The carbonyl group can also be introduced by oxidation of alcohols or alkenes or by ozonolysis. There are also examples of preparing indoles from o-aminophcnyl-acetonitriles by partial reduction of the cyano group. 

OH, 2-(2-pyridyl) o-nitrobenzyl pyridyl ketone Pd/C, NaBH4 90 65JCS1706... 

Protection of aldehydes and ketones.1 Bis-o-nitrobenzyl acetals or ketals are removable in 85-95% yield on irradiation at 350 nm in benzene. The acetals or ketals are easily prepared from 1 by an exchange reaction using 2,2-dimethoxy-propane (1, 268-269) catalyzed by an arenesulfonic acid. In the case of hindered ketones (17-keto steroids), the glycol o-N02C6H4CH(OH)CH2OH (2) can be used. 

The reaction is most useful for the preparation of olefinic, halo, and nitro alcohols from the corresponding substituted aldehydes and ketones. These substituents ate very often affected by other reduction procedures. Excellent directions are found in the preparations of crotyl alcohol (60%), l-bromo-5-hexanol (64%), l-chloco-4-pentanol (76%), /S,/S,/S-trichloroethyl alcohol (84%), methyl-p-chlorophenylcarbinol (81%), and o-nitrobenzyl alcohol (90%). The reaction has also been used in the preparation of certain tetralols and decalols as well as 9-fluo-renylcarbinol (50%). The thiophene and furan nuclei are not reduced. 

Bis(o-nitrophenyl)ethanediol (50) has been proposed as a practical photolabile protecting group for ketones and aldehydes which is superior to the monosub-stituted o-nitrophenylethanediol. The presence of a single stereocentre in the latter leads to the formation of two diastereomers when it is used with another chiral molecule, thus complicating NMR signal patterns, and often making purification difficult. In addition, the obvious alternative of ketal formation from two molecules of o-nitrobenzyl alcohol instead of a diol is usually impractical. On the other hand (50) is easily accessible as a pure enantiomer, and the ketals which it forms with aldehydes and ketones are smoothly deprotected in neutral conditions by irradiation at 350 nm. 

Aldehydes and ketones are reduced to primary and secondary alcohols respectively, often in high yield. The reaction owes its usefulness to the fact that carbon-carbon double bonds and many other unsaturated groups are unaffected, thus allowing selective reduction of carbonyl groups. For example, cinnamaldehyde is converted into cinnamyl alcohol, o-nitrobenzaldehyde gives o-nitrobenzyl alcohol and phenacyl bromide gives the alcohol 76 (7.57). 

A problem that is not entirely avoidable is the formation of imine byproducts via reaction of the released amine with the aldehydic group in the photoproduct. This occurrence could be suppressed with alkyl or aryl substitution at the benzylic position, leading to the formation of a less reactive ketone in comparison with the nitroso aldehyde formed with no substitution at the benzylic position. Imine byproduct formation is also less likely to occur in relatively nonpolar solvent systems, such as THF, which ultimately limits the application of the o-nitrobenzyl carbamate photoprotecting group to nonaqueous systems in this regard. 

A recent example of the use of 2,2-dimethoxypropane in the above capacity involves the reaction of an aldehyde or ketone with o-Nitrobenzyl Alcohol to afford the bis-o-nitrobenzyl acetal derivative. This protecting group has the advantage that it is photoremovable in high yield by irradiation at 350 nm. 

Pillai developed the 2 -nitrobenzhydryl PS resin [20] (8, NBH resin) as an a-substituted nitrobenzyl Hnker. The NBH resin was prepared from o-nitrobenzoyl chloride and 1% cross-Hnked PS resin by Friedel-Crafts acylation and ketone reduction (Scheme 17.7). Photolysis of single amino acids from the NBH resin... 

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