Biradicals/zwitterions from enallene-isonitriles. Formal [4 + 1] cycloadditions leading to 11H-indeno[1,2-b]quinoline and related compounds

Formation of cyclopenta[c]quinolines through visible-light-induced photoredox cascade bis-annulations of 1,7-enynes with sulfoxonium ylides

A novel visible-light-driven photoredox-catalyzed cascade bicyclization of 1,7-enynes with aqueous sulfoxonium ylides is reported. The reaction is highly chemoselective with three new C-C bonds, two new rings, and an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter constructed in a one-pot fashion. This mild protocol features a remarkably broad substrate scope with good functional group tolerance, providing a general and practical approach to access various cyclopenta[c]quinolines.

Stereoselective Three-Component Carbocyclization of 1,7-Enynes with Sulfoxonium Ylides and Water under Photoredox Catalysis

A visible-light-induced photoredox three-component carbocyclization reaction of 1,7-enynes with sulfoxonium ylides and water is reported. The protocol provides a facile entry to structurally valuable highly functionalized cyclopenta[c]quinoline scaffolds in a highly chemoselective and stereoselective manner. Salient features of this method include facile redox-neutral conditions, no requirement of base or other additive, and good functional-group tolerance.

Synthesis of O-Heterocycle Spiro-Fused Cyclopentaquinolinones and Cyclopentaindenes through Visible Light-Induced Radical Cyclization Reactions

Presented herein is an effective and sustainable synthesis of O-heterocycle spiro-fused cyclopentaquinolinone and cyclopentaindene derivatives through light-driven cascade reactions of N-(o-ethynylaryl)acrylamides or 2-(2-(phenylethynyl)benzyl)acrylate with various O-heterocycles. Experimental mechanistic studies revealed that these reactions are initiated by visible light-induced radical formation from O-heterocycle and its regioselective addition onto the acrylamide or acrylate moiety followed by 6-exo-dig and 5-endo-trig cascade radical annulation, which is terminated by single electron oxidation and proton elimination. Compared with previously reported synthetic methods for similar purposes, this newly developed protocol has advantages such as a broad substrate scope, extremely mild reaction conditions, excellent atom-economy, high efficiency, and good compatibility with diverse functional groups. With all of these merits, this method is expected to find wide applications in the related research arena.

Dinucleophilic Reactivity of Isocyanoacetate: Base-Catalyzed One-Pot Access to 4-Azafluorenes and 4-Azafluorenones

A base-catalyzed double annulation of isocyanoacetates with various enynones has been developed for the expeditious synthesis of 4-azafluorene and 4-azafluorenone derivatives. Against the well-known 1,3-dipolar reactivities, the active methylene and isocyano groups of isocyanoacetate serve as nucleophiles in this domino transformation.

An Efficient One-Pot Synthesis of Densely Functionalized Fused-Quinolines via Sequential Ugi4CC and Acid-Mediated Povarov-Type Reaction

A divergent synthesis of fused-quinolines has been explored by performing Ugi four-component condensation and sulfuric acid promoted deprotection/Povarov-type reaction in one-pot. The process involves Ugi condensation of propiolic acids, aldehydes/ketones, aminoaldehyde acetals and isocyanides followed by sulfuric acid promoted deprotection and Povarov-type reaction with anilines in ethanol. This method enables straightforward access to the structurally diverse 2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[3,4-b]quinolin-1-ones (DHPQ), 3,4-dihydrobenzo[b][1,6]naphthyridin-1(2H)-ones (DHBN), and 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-azepino[4,3-b]quinolin-1-ones (THAQ), starting from readily available starting materials.

Facile access to functionalized indenes and fused quinolines by regioselective 5-enolexo-dig Michael addition and cyclization reactions

Herein we report a facile approach to synthesise multi-substituted indenes and cyclopenta[b]quinolines under mild conditions.

(Hetero)aromatics from dienynes, enediynes and enyne–allenes

Recent advances in the synthesis of (hetero)aromatics starting from polyenes, such as dienynes, enediynes and enyne–allenes, are discussed.

DBU-promoted cyclization of vinyl isocyanides with ethers via the functionalization of a C(sp3)–H bond for the synthesis of isoquinolines

A DBU-promoted cascade functionalization of a C(sp³)–H bond adjacent to oxygen and a radical cyclization reaction of vinyl isocyanides was developed to easily access multi-functionalized isoquinolines.

Isocyanides in the synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles

Isocyanides have long proved themselves to be irreplaceable building blocks in modern organic chemistry. The unique features of the isocyano group make isocyanides particularly useful for the synthesis of a number of important classes of nitrogen heterocycles, such as pyrroles, indoles, and quinolines. Several cocyclizations of isocyanides via zwitterions and radical intermediates as well as transition-metal-catalyzed syntheses of different types of heterocycles have recently been developed. Methods starting from isocyanides often have distinct advantages over alternative approaches to the same heterocycles because of their enhanced convergence, the great simplicity of most of the operations with them, and the great variety of isocyanides readily available for use. Isocyanides have also been used in some enantioselective syntheses of chiral heterocyclic compounds, including natural products as well as precursors thereof.

Synthesis of 2-boryl- and silylindoles by copper-catalyzed borylative and silylative cyclization of 2-alkenylaryl isocyanides

We have developed a method for the synthesis of 2-borylindoles via the copper(I)-catalyzed borylative cyclization of 2-alkenylphenyl isocyanides using diboronate. The reaction proceeds at room temperature under neutral conditions and exhibits high tolerance to functional groups, such as Br, CO(2)R, COR, CONMe(2), and CN. The 2-borylindoles synthesized in the present study can be elaborated into an array of indole-based derivatives, for example, through the Suzuki-Miyaura reaction. The utility of this method is demonstrated in the rapid synthesis of a kinase inhibitor, paullone. The reaction can be extended to the synthesis of 2-hydride indole and 2-silylindole by using hydroboronate (or hydrosilane) and silylboronate, respectively. Under these copper-catalyzed conditions, a quinoxaline ring system can also be constructed by using 1,2-isocyanobenzene as a substrate.

Synthesis of functionalized quinolines via Ugi and Pd-catalyzed intramolecular arylation reactions

Two types of quinoline scaffolds were constructed in a combinatorial format via the Ugi four-component reaction (U-4CR) and Pd-catalyzed intramolecular arylation reaction. The scope of this two-step synthetic sequence was examined from commercially available and synthetically accessible starting materials.

Efficient and direct synthesis of poly-substituted indeno[1,2-b]quinolines assisted by p-toluene sulfonic acid using high-temperature water and microwave heating via one-pot, three-component reaction

Reactions of aldehydes, 1,3-indanedione and enaminones were successfully carried out using p-toluene sulfonic acid (p-TsOH) as a catalyst and high-temperature water as a solvent under microwave irradiation. This method provided several advantages such as rapid reaction times, high yields, and a simple workup procedure. In addition, a possible mechanism to account for the reaction was proposed.

An efficient one-pot, three-component synthesis of indeno[1,2-b]quinoline-9,11(6H,10H)-dione, acridine-1,8(2H,5H)-dione and quinoline-3-carbonitrile derivatives from enaminones

An efficient one-pot, three-component method for the preparation of indeno[1,2-b]quinoline-9,11(6H,10H)-dione, acridine-1,8(2H,5H)-dione and various multi-substituted quinoline-3-carbonitrile derivatives has been developed through the Michael addition to enaminones, which was achieved by both microwave irradiation and conventional heating.

Configurational Stability of Bisindolylmaleimide Cyclophanes: From Conformers to the First Configurationally Stable, Atropisomeric Bisindolylmaleimides

The bisindolylmaleimides are selective protein kinase inhibitors that can adopt two limiting diastereomeric (syn and anti) conformations. The configurational stability of a range of substituted and macrocyclic bisindolylmaleimides was investigated by using appropriate techniques. With unconstrained bisindolylmaleimides, the size of the 2-indolyl substituents was found to affect configurational stability, though not sufficiently to allow atropisomeric bisindolylmaleimides to be obtained. However, with a tether between the two indole nitrogen atoms in place, the steric effect of 2-indolyl substituents was greatly exaggerated, leading to large differences in configurational stability. The rate of interconversion of the syn and anti conformers varied by over twenty orders of magnitude through substitution of a bisindolylmaleimide ring system, which was constrained within a macrocyclic ring. Indeed, the first examples of configurationally stable atropisomeric bisindolylmaleimides are reported; the half-life for epimerisation of these compounds at room temperature was estimated to be >10(7) years.