Umpolung reactivity of indole through gold catalysis

Gold(iii)-catalyzed chemoselective annulations of anthranils with N-allylynamides for the synthesis of 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexan-2-imines

We herein report the gold(iii)-catalyzed selective annulation of anthranils with N-allylynamides under mild conditions. By trapping the in situ-generated α-imino gold carbenes, 3-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexan-2-imines were obtained in high synthetic efficiency. The reaction, which can be conducted in the gram scale, tolerates electron-rich and electron-deficient anthranils as well as a diverse set of functionalized ynamides (aryl- and alkyl-substituted terminal).

A convergent formal [4 + 2] cycloaddition of 1,6-diynes and benzyl azides: construction of spiro-polyheterocycles

A convergent formal [4 + 2] cycloaddition reaction for the construction of structurally appealing spiro-tetrahydroquinolines has been developed, in which, a one-pot reaction is established for the in situ generation of two reagents, a cyclic alkyne and an N-aryliminium ion, from the corresponding precursors in the presence of an Au-catalyst and Brønsted acid, respectively.

Gold-catalyzed dual annulation of azide-tethered alkynes with nitriles: expeditious synthesis of oxazolo[4,5-c]quinolines

A gold-catalyzed dual annulation of azide-tethered internal alkynes, which provides convenient access to quinoline derivatives, has been reported.

Gold-catalyzed cyclization of 1-(2′-azidoaryl) propynols: synthesis of polysubstituted 4-quinolones

α-Imino gold carbene intermediate is produced from 1-(2′-azidoaryl) propynols, which triggers a 1,2-carbon migration and is converted to 2,3-disubstituted 4-quinolones. The reaction works under mild conditions and tolerates various functional groups.

Gold-catalyzed heterocyclic syntheses through α-imino gold carbene complexes as intermediates

This review reports a comprehensive compilation of gold-catalyzed heterocyclic synthesis by using α-imino gold carbene complexes as the proposed intermediates.

Direct synthesis of aryl-annulated [c]carbazoles by gold(i)-catalysed cascade reaction of azide-diynes and arenes

The gold-catalysed annulation of conjugated alkynes bearing an azido group with arenes gave annulated [c]carbazoles. Using benzene, pyrrole, and indole derivatives as the nucleophiles, benzo[c]-, pyrrolo[2,3-c]-, and indolo[2,3-c]carbazoles were produced, respectively. The reaction proceeded through pyrrole and benzene ring construction accompanied by the formation of two carbon-carbon and one carbon-nitrogen bond and the cleavage of two aromatic C-H bonds. The mechanism of the reaction with pyrrole was investigated by density functional theory calculations. N,N'-dimethylated indolo[2,3-c]carbazole showed dual ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared and fluorescence spectral changes upon electrolysis.

A Gold Carbene Manifold to Prepare Fused γ-Lactams by Oxidative Cyclisation of Ynamides

Gold-catalysed oxidative cyclisation reactions of ynamides offer great promise in γ-lactam synthesis but are limited by preferential over-oxidation to form α-keto imides. Evaluating the factors that might limit N-cyclisation pathways led to effective gold-catalysed conditions that allow access to different fused γ-lactams on changing the ynamide N-substituent and accommodate previously incompatible substitution patterns. New and efficient methods for the synthesis of functionalised 3-aryl indoles and cyclohepta[c]pyrrol-1-one derivatives are presented. These conditions illustrate the complementarity of gold catalysis to other metals.

Multi-component synthesis of 3-substituted indoles and their cyclisation to α-carbolines via I2-promoted intramolecular C2 oxidative amination/aromatisation at room temperature

Condensation of indoles, aldehydes and pyrazol-5-amine in the presence of ceric ammonium nitrate gives 3-substituted indoles. These then cyclise to α-carbolines at room temperature through I2-promoted intramolecular C2 amination and aromatisation in open air. A plausible mechanism is proposed based on some controlled experiments.

Zinc-catalyzed reaction of isoxazoles with thioynol ethers involving an unprecedented 1,2-sulfur migration

A novel zinc-catalyzed reaction of isoxazoles with thioynol ethers involving an unprecedented 1,2-sulfur migration has been developed, which represents the first example of a non-noble metal-catalyzed reaction between isoxazoles and alkynes. This method allows the facile and atom-economical synthesis of a range of valuable β-keto enamides. Moreover, the computational study provides further evidence for the feasibility of the proposed reaction mechanism.

Gold-catalyzed (4 + 2)-annulations between α-alkyl alkenylgold carbenes and benzisoxazoles with reactive alkyl groups

This work reports new (4 + 2)-annulations of α-alkyl vinylgold carbenes with benzisoxazoles to afford 3,4-dihydroquinoline derivatives with high anti-stereoselectivity.

This work reports new (4 + 2)-annulations of α-alkyl vinylgold carbenes with benzisoxazoles to afford 3,4-dihydroquinoline derivatives with high anti-stereoselectivity. The annulations are operable with carbenes in both acyclic and cyclic forms. This reaction sequence involves an initial formation of imines from α-alkylgold carbenes and benzisoxazoles, followed by a novel carbonyl-enamine reaction to yield 3,4-dihydroquinoline derivatives. This system presents the first alkyl C–H reactivity of α-alkyl gold carbenes with an external substrate.

Recent advances in transition-metal-catalyzed reactions of alkynes with isoxazoles

Isoxazoles, as masked 1,3-dicarbonyl equivalents, have proven to be versatile building blocks and pivotal intermediates for the construction of a variety of useful azacycles with molecular complexity. As a result, a range of new reactions have been discovered based on isoxazoles in the past decade. However, the relevant reactions of isoxazoles with alkynes have seldom been explored. In this review, we will focus on the recent progress in the transition-metal-catalyzed formal annulations for the efficient synthesis of N-heterocycles between alkynes and isoxazoles by highlighting their specificity and applicability, and the mechanistic rationale is presented where possible.

The synthesis of pyrroles and oxazoles based on gold α-imino carbene complexes

Cationic gold complexes of α-oximimino carbenes have been identified to react with weak nucleophiles including enol ethers and nitriles. These findings allowed us to develop the highly efficient synthesis of pyrroles and oxazoles.

Ring-opening and cyclization of aziridines with aryl azides: metal-free synthesis of 6-(triflyloxy)quinolines

A metal-free synthesis of 6-(triflyloxy)quinolines has been developed via the ring-opening and cyclization of 2-aryl-1-tosylaziridines with 2-azidobenzaldehydes in the presence of TfOH.

Synthesis of indole-fused heteroacenes by cascade cyclisation involving rhodium(ii)-catalysed intramolecular C–H amination

Indole-fused heteroacenes have been synthesised from cascade cyclisation of 2-[(2-azidophenyl)ethynyl]anilines and -phenols in a catalytic manner under redox-neutral conditions.

Palladium-catalyzed direct C(sp3)–H arylation of indole-3-ones with aryl halides: a novel and efficient method for the synthesis of nucleophilic 2-monoarylated indole-3-ones

A novel and efficient method for the synthesis of nucleophilic 2-monoarylated indole-3-ones via palladium-catalyzed direct C(sp³)–H arylation of indole-3-ones with aryl halides has been developed.

Divergent synthesis of N-heterocycles via controllable cyclization of azido-diynes catalyzed by copper and gold

Gold-catalyzed intermolecular alkyne oxidation by an N–O bond oxidant has proven to be a powerful method in organic synthesis during the past decade, because this approach would enable readily available alkynes as precursors in generating α-oxo gold carbenes. Among those, gold-catalyzed oxidative cyclization of dialkynes has received particular attention as this chemistry offers great potential to build structurally complex cyclic molecules. However, these alkyne oxidations have been mostly limited to noble metal catalysts, and, to our knowledge, non-noble metal-catalyzed reactions such as diyne oxidations have not been reported. Herein, we disclose a copper-catalyzed oxidative diyne cyclization, allowing the facile synthesis of a wide range of valuable pyrrolo[3,4-c]quinolin-1-ones. Interestingly, by employing the same starting materials, the gold-catalyzed cascade cyclization leads to the divergent formation of synthetically useful pyrrolo[2,3-b]indoles. Furthermore, the proposed mechanistic rationale for these cascade reactions is strongly supported by both control experiments and theoretical calculations.

Fused N-heterocycles are structural motifs observed in natural products and bioactive compounds. Here, the authors developed divergent copper- and gold-catalyzed oxidative cyclizations of diynes to two types of tricyclic N-heterocycles and rationalized the product selectivity by theoretical calculations.

Gold-catalyzed intermolecular reaction of ynamides with 3-indolyl azides via an unexpected 1,2-alkyl migration

A gold-catalyzed intermolecular reaction of ynamides with 3-indolyl azides via the presumable α-imino gold carbenes has been developed, providing an alternative and efficient way for the synthesis of valuable 3-amino-β-carbolines in generally good to excellent yields. Importantly, this new protocol involves an unexpected 1,2-alkyl migration pathway.

Yttrium-Catalyzed Intramolecular Hydroalkoxylation/Claisen Rearrangement Sequence: Efficient Synthesis of Medium-Sized Lactams

An efficient yttrium-catalyzed intramolecular hydroalkoxylation/Claisen rearrangement sequence has been achieved, thus enabling facile access to a diverse array of valuable medium-sized lactams. Furthermore, a mechanistic rationale for this novel cascade reaction is well supported by a variety of control experiments.

α-Imino Gold Carbenes from 1,2,4-Oxadiazoles: Atom-Economical Access to Fully Substituted 4-Aminoimidazoles

A novel and atom-economical synthesis of fully substituted 4-aminoimidazoles via gold-catalyzed selective [3 + 2] annulation of 1,2,4-oxadiazoles with ynamides is reported. This protocol represents a new strategy to access α-imino gold carbenes, which corresponds to an unprecedented intermolecular transfer of N-acylimino nitrenes to ynamides. Moreover, the reaction proceeds with 100% atom economy, exhibits good functional group tolerance, and can be conducted in gram scale.

Transition-metal-free, visible-light-mediated cyclization of o-azidoarylalkynes with aryl diazonium salts

A visible-light promoted transformation of o-azidoarylalkynes and aryl diazonium salts for the synthesis of unsymmetrical 2,3-diaryl-substituted indoles under transition-metal-free conditions was described.

Transition-metal-free, visible-light induced cyclization of arylsulfonyl chlorides with o-azidoarylalkynes: a regiospecific route to unsymmetrical 2,3-disubstituted indoles

A visible-light-catalyzed synthesis of unsymmetrical 2,3-diaryl-substituted indoles from arylsulfonyl chlorides and o-azidoarylalkynes at room temperature has been discovered.

Synthesis of 1H-indole-3-sulfonates via palladium-catalyzed tandem reactions of 2-alkynyl arylazides with sulfonic acids

An efficient method for the synthesis of 1H-indole-3-sulfonates via palladium-catalyzed tandem reactions of 2-alkynyl arylazides with sulfonic acids has been developed.

Gold(i)-catalyzed synthesis of 2-substituted indoles from 2-alkynylnitroarenes with diboron as reductant

An efficient method for the synthesis of 2-substituted indoles via a diboron/base promoted tandem reductive cyclization of o-alkynylnitroarene under Au catalysis conditions has been disclosed.

Gold(i)-catalyzed 6-endo-dig azide–yne cyclization: efficient access to 2H-1,3-oxazines

Denitrogenative 6-endo-dig azide–yne cyclization of α-propargyloxy-β-haloalkylazides was enabled by gold catalysis, thus providing 2H-1,3-oxazines.