The Fischer indole synthesis is perhaps the most powerful method for indole preparation, but it often suffers from low regioselectivities with unsymmetric aliphatic ketone substrates and strong acidic conditions and is not suitable for α,β-unsaturated ketones. In this article, we disclose an efficient synthesis of N-protected indoles from N-arylhydroxamic acids/N-aryl-N-hydroxycarbamates and a variety of alkynes via a cooperative gold and zinc catalysis. The zinc catalysis is similar to the related zinc ion catalysis in metalloenzymes such as human carbonic anhydrase II and substantially enhances the O-nucleophilicity of N-acylated hydroxamines by forming the corresponding Zn chelates. The Zn chelates can attack gold-activated alkynes to form O-alkenyl-N-arylhydroxamates, which can undergo facile 3,3-sigmatropic rearrangements and subsequent cyclodehydrations to yield N-protected indole products. This new chemistry offers several important improvements over the Fischer indole synthesis: a) the reaction conditions are mildly acidic and can tolerate sensitive groups such as Boc; b) broader substrate scopes including substrates with pendant carbonyl groups (reactive in the Fischer chemistry) and alkyl chlorides (e.g., 3f); c) better regioselectivities for the formation of 2-substituted indoles under much milder conditions; d) 2-alkenylindoles can be prepared readily in good to excellent yields, but the Fischer chemistry could not; e) with internal alkynes both steric and electronic controls are available for achieving good regioselectivities, while the Fischer chemistry is in general problematic.
Electrophilic indole? Indoles, which are typically nucleophilic, can be made electrophilic through gold catalysis. By using an ortho-azido group to deliver a nitrene intramolecularly, an arylalkyne is converted into a gold carbene intermediate containing an indole skeleton that is highly electrophilic at the 3-position. A range of functionalized indoles is readily accessed by utilizing this strategy. Detailed facts of importance to specialist readers are published as "Supporting Information". Such documents are peer-reviewed, but not copy-edited or typeset. They are made available as submitted by the authors. Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
Golden Cascade: With a tethered, electron-rich arene as the internal nucleophile, a gold-catalyzed amide cyclization to an alkyne initiates a cascade process that ends with a Ferrier rearrangement. Electron-rich arene-bearing hexahydroquinolizin-2-ones are formed in good yields and can be converted into indole alkaloids in only a few steps.
A formal synthesis of 7-methoxymitosene is achieved via a key platinum-catalyzed cycloisomerization. The precursor for the Pt catalysis, a fully functionalized benzene intermediate, was prepared via a regioselective electrophilic bromination followed by a chemoselective Sonogashira cross-coupling. It underwent the PtCl2-catalyzed cycloisomerization smoothly despite its hindered and highly electron-rich nature. Analogs of 7-methoxymitosene can be accessed in an expedient manner by following a similar synthetic sequence.
Goldene Kaskade: Mit einem gebundenen elektronenreichen Aren als internem Nucleophil initiiert eine Gold-katalysierte Amidcyclisierung mit einem Alkin einen Kaskadenprozess, der mit einer Ferrier-Umlagerung endet. Elektronenreiche Aren-substituierte Hexahydrochinolizin-2-one werden so in guten Ausbeuten erhalten und können in wenigen Schritten zu Indolalkaloiden umgesetzt werden.
Abstract N‐protected indoles such as (III), (V)/(VI), (VIII), and (X)/(XI) are prepared via annulation of N‐arylhydroxamic acids (I) and (IV) and alkynes.
Elektrophiles Indol? Indole, die typischerweise nucleophil sind, können durch Gold-Katalyse in Elektrophile verwandelt werden. Mithilfe einer ortho-Azidogruppe, die intramolekular ein Nitren erzeugt, wird ein Arylalkin in ein Goldcarben-Intermediat mit Indolgerüst überführt, das in 3-Stellung hoch elektrophil ist. Eine Reihe von funktionalisierten Indolen ist auf diese Weise zugänglich.
Abstract The cascade reaction of amides tethered with a terminal alkyne moiety proceeds via a gold‐catalyzed amide cyclization followed by a Ferrier rearrangement.
'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(23.036 .093 25.536)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(45.87 1.273 16.18)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(69.945 .996 12.078)'/%3e%3cuse xlink:href='%23a' transform='rotate(20.66 -19.689 31.932)'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)