One-Pot Synthesis of Indole-Fused Scaffolds via Gold-Catalyzed Tandem Annulation Reactions of 1,2-Bis(alkynyl)-2-en-1-ones with Indoles

Cu(OTf)2/HFIP catalyzed regioselective cycloisomerization of indole-C3-functionalized alkynols to carbazoles

We report here a simple and atom economic cycloisomerization reaction of indole-tethered alkynols for constructing diverse carbazoles using Cu(OTf)2/HFIP as the excellent promoter system. The reaction proceeds through a one-pot, domino process of spiro cyclization and 1,2-migration followed by aromatization to deliver carbazoles.

Phototriggered Fluoroalkylation/Cyclization of Unactivated 1-Acryloyl-2-cyanoindoles: Synthesis of RCOCF2-Substituted Pyrrolo[1,2-a]indolediones

A photochemical approach toward RCOCF2-substituted pyrrolo[1,2-a]indolediones was developed by the radical cascade difluoroalkylation/cyclization reaction of unactivated 1-acryloyl-2-cyanoindoles with ethyl iododifluoroacetate or iododifluoramides under visible-light irradiation. This transition-metal- and photosensitizer-free protocol afforded diverse difluoroalkylated pyrrolo[1,2-a]indolediones in moderate to good yields under mild reaction conditions. Most appealingly, the reaction can proceed smoothly under sunlight irradiation, which opens a new avenue toward difluoroalkylated pyrrolo[1,2-a]indolediones.

Catalyst- and Substrate-Controlled Regiodivergent Synthesis of Carbazoles through Gold-Catalyzed Cyclizations of Indole-Functionalized Alkynols

A wide variety of regioselectively substituted carbazole derivatives can be synthesized by the gold-catalyzed cyclization of alkynols bearing an indol-3-yl and an additional group at the homopropargylic positions. The regioselectivity of the process can be controlled by both the oxidation state of the gold catalyst and the electronic nature of the substituents of the alkynol moiety. The 1,2-alkyl migration in the spiroindoleninium intermediate, generated after indole attack to the activated alkyne, is favored with gold(I) complexes and for electron-rich aromatic substituents at the homopropargylic position, whereas the 1,2-alkenyl shift is preferred when using gold(III) salts and for alkyl or non-electron-rich aromatic groups.

Friedel-Crafts-Type Acylation and Amidation Reactions in Strong Brønsted Acid: Taming Superelectrophiles

In this review, we discuss Friedel-Crafts-type aromatic amidation and acylation reactions, not exhaustively, but mainly based on our research results. The electrophilic species involved are isocyanate cation and acylium cation, respectively, and both have a common ⁺C=O structure, which can be generated from carboxylic acid functionalities in a strong Brønsted acid. Carbamates substituted with methyl salicylate can be easily ionized to the isocyanate cation upon (di)protonation of the salicylate. Carboxylic acids can be used directly as a source of acylium cations. However, aminocarboxylic acids are inert in acidic media because two positively charged sites, ammonium and acylium cation, will be generated, resulting in energetically unfavorable charge-charge repulsion. Nevertheless, the aromatic acylation of aminocarboxylic acids can be achieved by using tailored phosphoric acid esters as Lewis bases to abrogate the charge-charge repulsion. Both examples tame the superelectrophilic character.

Regio- and Diastereoselective Construction of Functionalized Benzo[b]oxepines and Benzo[b]azepines via Recyclable Gold(I)-Catalyzed Cyclizations

The heterogeneous gold-catalyzed cyclization of (o-alkynyl)phenoxy- or N-(o-alkynylphenyl)tolylsulfonamidoacrylates with alcohols has been developed by using an MCM-41-anchored diphenylphosphine-Au(I) complex [MCM-41-Ph₂P-AuNTf₂] as the catalyst under mild reaction conditions, yielding diverse functionalized benzo[b]oxepines or benzo[b]azepines with good to high yields and excellent diastereoselectivity. This heterogenized gold(I) catalyst exhibits a comparable activity to homogeneous Ph₃PAuNTf₂ and can be facilely recovered by a simple filtration of the reaction solution and reused more than seven times with almost a consistent catalytic efficiency.

Effective Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Natural and Designed Bis(indolyl)methanes via Taurine-Catalyzed Green Approach

An ecofriendly, inexpensive, and efficient route for synthesizing 3,3'-bis(indolyl)methanes (BIMs) and their derivatives was carried out by an electrophilic substitution reaction of indole with structurally divergent aldehydes and ketones using taurine and water as a green catalyst and solvent, respectively, under sonication conditions. Using water as the only solvent, the catalytic process demonstrated outstanding activity, productivity, and broad functional group tolerance, affording the required BIM natural products and derivatives in excellent yields (59-90%). Furthermore, in silico based structure activity analysis of the synthesized BIM derivatives divulges their potential ability to bind antineoplastic drug target and spindle motor protein kinesin Eg5. The precise binding mode of BIM derivatives with the ATPase motor domain of Eg5 is structurally reminiscent with previously reported allosteric inhibitor Arry520, which is under phase III clinical trials. Nevertheless, detailed analysis of the binding poses indicates that BIM derivatives bind the allosteric pocket of the Eg5 motor domain more robustly than Arry520; moreover, unlike Arry520, BIM binding is found to be resistant to drug-resistant mutations of Eg5. Accordingly, a structure-guided mechanism of Eg5 inhibition by synthesized BIM derivatives is proposed.

Gold-Catalyzed Cyclization of Ynones Involving cis-Hydrofunctionalizations: Rapid Assembly of C-, O-, or S-Functionalized Pyrroles by a Single Methodology

A gold-catalyzed cyclization of conjugated ynones with various nucleophiles such as indoles, alcohols, and thiols has been developed. The reaction provides a new and efficient protocol for the synthesis of functionalized pyrroles with wide versatility and functional group compatibility. Remarkably, for indolyl, alkoxy, or sulfenyl pyrroles, all could be constructed efficiently by this single methodology. In addition, cis-hydrofunctionalizations of ynones are involved in these reactions.

Catalytic Gold Chemistry: From Simple Salts to Complexes for Regioselective C-H Bond Functionalization

Gold coordinated to neutral phosphines (R₃ P), N-heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) or anionic ligands is catalytically active in functionalizing various C-H bonds with high selectivity. The sterics/electronic nature of the studied C-H bond, oxidation state of gold and stereoelectronic capacity of the coordinated auxiliary ligand are some of the associated selectivity factors in gold-catalyzed C-H bond functionalization reactions. Hence, in this review a comprehensive update about the action of different types of gold catalysts, from simple to sophisticated ones, on C-H bond reactions and their regiochemical outcome is disclosed. This review also highlights the catalytic applications of Au(I)- and Au(III)-species in creating new opportunities for the regio- and site-selective activation of challenging C-H bonds. Finally, it also intends to stress the potential applications in selective C-H bond activation associated with a variety of heterocycles recently described in the literature.

Iodine-Catalyzed Synthesis of Substituted Furans and Pyrans: Reaction Scope and Mechanistic Insights

Substituted pyrans and furans are core structures found in a wide variety of natural products and biologically active compounds. Herein, we report a practical and mild catalytic method for the synthesis of substituted pyrans and furans using molecular iodine, a simple and inexpensive catalyst. The method described is performed under solvent-free conditions at an ambient temperature and atmosphere, thus offering a facile and practical alternative to currently available reaction protocols. A combination of experimental studies and density functional theory calculations revealed interesting mechanistic insights into this seemingly simple reaction.

Reactivity of Cross-Conjugated Enynones in Cyclocondensations with Hydrazines: Synthesis of Pyrazoles and Pyrazolines

The cyclocondensation of cross-conjugated enynones, dienynones, and trienynones (easily available due to low-cost starting compounds) with arylhydrazines leads to the regioselective synthesis of pyrazole derivatives (dihetaryl-substituted ethens, buta-1,3-diens, and hexa-1,3,5-triens) or results in 4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazoles in good yield. The reaction path is controlled by the character of the substituent in enynone: the pyrazoles are obtained from the reaction of substrates that contain five-membered heteroaromatic substituents with arylhydrazines, and the 4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazoles are obtained from the reaction of 1,5-diphenylpent-1-en-4-yn-3-one with arylhydrazines consistently. Despite the presence of a substituent, cyclocondensation of 2-hydrazinylpyridine with all of examined cross-conjugated enynones leads to the formation of pyrazoles. The reaction does not require special conditions (temperature, catalyst, inert atmosphere). The cyclocondensation pathways are determined by the electronic effect of an electron-rich five-membered heteroaromatic ring in the substrate. The synthesis allows use of various substituents and functional groups in enynone and hydrazine. The present method features high yields and simplicity of the product purification. The obtained pyrazoles possess fluorescent properties with a quantum yield up to 31%.

2-Activated 1,3-enynes in enantioselective synthesis

The rapid enantioselective synthesis of valuable building blocks and pharmaceutically important compounds from easily accessible precursors is one of the major areas of focus in organic chemistry. In this context, 2-activated 1,3-enyne has emerged as a powerful synthon in recent years for the efficient synthesis of enantioenriched furans, allenes, 4-H-pyrans, and 4-isoxazolines, which are privileged scaffolds in bioactive compounds and natural products. This review will cover the history of the development of 2-activated 1,3-enyne in enantioselective synthesis along with the corresponding mechanisms, which may motivate further development in this area to forge more complex and valuable molecules.

Synthesis of annulated bis-indoles through Au(i)/Brønsted acid-catalyzed reactions of (1H-indol-3-yl)(aryl)methanols with 2-(arylethynyl)-1H-indoles

A general method to access annulated bis-indoles from (1H-indol-3-yl)(aryl)methanols and 2-(arylethynyl)-1H-indoles under the catalysis of the Ph₃PAuOTf/Brønsted acid binary catalyst system has been developed. The reaction was found to proceed in a highly efficient manner and benefit from easy-to-make starting materials, broad substrate scope and operational simplicity. The potential of this method has also been exemplified for the synthesis of pyrrole-annulated indoles using 2-(phenylethynyl)-1H-indoles and phenyl(1H-pyrrol-2-yl)methanols. Furthermore, the use of a ternary catalyst system, involving PdCl₂/Brønsted acid/Ph₃PAuOTf catalysts, has been realized for the synthesis of annulated bis-indoles starting directly from 2-(phenylbuta-1,3-diyn-1-yl)aniline and (1H-indol-3-yl)(aryl)methanol. Mechanistically, this reaction is very interesting since the overall process involves three different catalytic cycles catalyzed by three different catalysts in a relay fashion.

Gold-catalysed reactions of diynes

In this critical review the reactivity patterns observed with different types of diyne substrates in gold catalysis are discussed. Apart from the many examples from homogeneous catalysis, the few examples from heterogeneous gold catalysis are also included. With a proper arrangement of the two alkynes unique and exciting reactivity patterns like 1,3-carbonyl transpositions, carbene transfer reactions, cascade annulations, macrocyclisations or the formation of gold vinylidene intermediates are observed. These reactions are of interest for organic synthesis, for pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry and for material science.

Tandem buildup of complexity of aromatic molecules through multiple successive electrophile generation in one pot, controlled by varying the reaction temperature

While some sequential electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions, known as tandem/domino/cascade reactions, have been reported for the construction of aromatic single skeletons, one of the most interesting and challenging possibilities remains the one-pot build-up of a complex aromatic molecule from multiple starting components, i.e., ultimately multi-component electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions. In this work, we show how tuning of the leaving group ability of phenolate derivatives from carbamates and esters provides a way to successively generate multiple unmasked electrophiles in a controlled manner in one pot, simply by varying the temperature. Here, we demonstrate the autonomous formation of up to three bonds in one pot and formation of two bonds arising from a three-component electrophilic aromatic substitution reaction. This result provides a proof-of-concept of our strategy applicable for the self-directed construction of complex aromatic structures from multiple simple molecules, which can be a potential avenue to realize multi-component electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions.

Exploring the gold mine: [Au]-catalysed transformations of enynals, enynones and enynols

This review highlights reactions of enynals, enynones and enynols using gold catalysis which often lead to cycloaddition or cyclisation products.

Diversity Oriented Synthesis of Indoloazepinobenzimidazole and Benzimidazotriazolobenzodiazepine from N(1)-Alkyne-1,2-diamines

A one-pot protocol for the diversity oriented synthesis of two N-polyheterocycles indoloazepinobenzimidazole and benzimidazotriazolobenzodiazepine from a common N(1)-alkyne-1,2-diamine building block is described. The approach involves sequential formation of benzimidazole through cyclocondensation and oxidation, which is followed by the formation of either an azepine ring (through alkyne activation and 6-endo-dig cyclization, 1,2-migration with ring expansion, and re-aromatization), or diazepine and triazole rings through 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition.

Gold(i)-catalysed cascade reactions in the synthesis of 2,3-fused indole derivatives

Unactivated alkenes and 1,3-unsubstituted indoles in gold(i)-catalysed hydroaminative/arylative cascade cyclizations.

Post-Ugi gold-catalyzed diastereoselective domino cyclization for the synthesis of diversely substituted spiroindolines

An Ugi four-component reaction of propargylamine with 3-formylindole and various acids and isonitriles produces adducts which are subjected to a cationic gold-catalyzed diastereoselective domino cyclization to furnish diversely substituted spiroindolines. All the reactions run via an exo-dig attack in the hydroarylation step followed by an intramolecular diastereoselective trapping of the imminium ion. The whole sequence is atom economic and the application of a multicomponent reaction assures diversity.