Rhodium catalysts indole functionalization

Oestxeich found that the direct arylation of indolines could be accomplished without over oxidation to the corresponding indole under palladium-catalysis with air (open flask), oxygen (balloon), or copper(II) acetate as the oxidant. Indolines can be unsubstituted or substituted as C2/C3 and the reaction performs well on gram scale (250, 18 examples, 18—90% isolated yield) (140L6020).A directed C2-functionalization/C7-alkenylation was discovered by Xu,Yi, and colleagues. With a rhodium catalyst, indole derivatives were functionalized with acetates at C2 (22 examples, 62—92% yield) the newly obtained products could be alkenylated at C7 with a rhodium/copper system (251,3 examples, 68—78% yield) (14CC6483). 

Transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling of indoles and aryl halides is one of the most sustainable pathways for the functionalization of indoles. Compared to the majority of reported palladium-catalyzed olelinations, the indolic C—H ole-finations using rhodium catalysts often allow higher selectivity and broader substrate scope but is less documented. This method provides a direct and efficient process to the functionalization at C2 of protected indole 19 to provide the coupled product 20 . 

Intermolecular direct arylations of heteroarenes, such as indoles, pyrroles or (benzo)furans, were, thus far, predominantly achieved with palladium catalysts (see Chapter 10). However, rhodium complexes proved also competent for the direct functionaUzations of various valuable heteroarenes with comparable or, in some cases, improved catalytic performance. Thus, rhodium-catalyzed C—H bond functionalizations of various N-heterocycles, were elegantly developed by Bergman, Ellman and coworkers. Here, the use of a catalytic system comprising [RhCl(coe)2]2 and PCys led to direct arylations of unprotected benzimidazoles with aryl iodides... 

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