Rhodium-catalyzed indole ring synthesis

Saito and Sato accomplished a synthesis of the herbindoles A, B, and C via a Rh-catalyzed intramolecular [2+2+2] cyclization between ynamide and diyne moieties (equation 5) [21] in a reaction reminiscent of Witulski s chemistry. Ruthenium, cobalt, nickel, and palladium catalysts were less effective. 

Indole Ring Synthesis From Natural Products to Drug Discovery, First Edition. Gordon W. Gribble. 2016 John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Published 2016 by John Wiley Sons, Ltd. 

Several investigators used a Rh-catalyzed intermolecu-lar annulation of anilines with alkynes to prepare indoles. 

The Rh-catalyzed annulation of triazoles has been explored by several investigators as a novel indole synthesis. Fokin s team generated azavinyl carbenes with rhodium and parlayed this reaction into an indole synthesis (equation 3) [54], Davies and colleagues described a one-pot indole synthesis from tosyl azide and cyclohexenyl derivatives involving an in situ triazole formation (equation 4) [55], and Lin reported a synthesis of 3-indolylimines using a similar approach (equation 5) [56]. Miura and coworkers effected the Rh-cat-alyzed intramolecular synthesis of 3,4-fused indoles 

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After copper and palladium, rhodium is the third most important transition metal for the synthesis of the indole ring. For a 2007 review on this reaction, see Patil and Paiil [1], Some early examples (Scheme 1) are Alper s rhodium reaction of 2-aryl-2/7-azirines to give 2-styiylindoles (equation 1) [2], Watanabe s Rh-catalyzed Fischer indole synthesis (equation 2) [3], Ucciani s 3-methylindole synthesis via the hydroformylation of o-nitrostyrene (equation 3) [4], and Burst s preparation of 3-acetyl-2-hydrox-yindoles from the Rh-catalyzed decomposition and carbenoid aromatic C-H bond insertion (equation 4) [5]. Narasaka extended Alper s 2-aryl-2//-azirine reaction to a Rh(II)-catalyzed synthesis of 2,3-disubstituted indoles [6], and both Cenini [7] and Alper [8] stretched the deoxygenation of o-nitrostyrenes to give indoles. Burst s Rh-catalyzed decomposition of a-diazo carbonyl compounds was used by Bauban [9] and Jha [10] in the synthesis of substituted oxindoles. 

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