Rhodium(III)-catalyzed C4-amidation of indole-oximes with dioxazolones via C-H activation

Palladium-Catalyzed Weak-Chelation-Assisted C4-Nitration of Indoles with tert-Butyl Nitrite: Formal Access to Aminated Indoles

Palladium-catalyzed weak-chelation-assisted C4-selective nitration of indoles has been accomplished employing tert-butyl nitrite in the presence of oxone under molecular oxygen at a moderate temperature. Aerobic conditions, C4-selectivity, substrate scope, conversion to valuable aminated indoles, and late-stage natural product modifications are the important practical features.

Solvent-controlled regioselective C(5)-H/N(1)-H bond alkylations of indolines and C(6)-H bond alkylations of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines with para-quinone methides

Solvent-promoted and -controlled regioselective bond alkylation reactions of para-quinone methides (p-QMs) with N-H free-indoline and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline (THQ) under metal-free conditions have been developed. In the presence of 1,1,1,3,3,3-hexafluoro-2-propanol (HFIP) as the solvent, 1,6-addition alkylation reactions of p-QMs with NH-free indolines and THQs efficiently gave C5-alkylated indolines and C6-alkylated THQs. Using catalytic amounts of HFIP in DCM, the reaction of indolines and p-QMs resulted in the alkylation of indolines at the N1-position. HFIP plays two roles in the reactions: converting the indoline and THQ into bidentate nucleophiles and activating the p-QMs to achieve the 1,6-addition alkylation via hydrogen bond clusters. The indoline and THQ act as a C-nucleophile due to the H-bond clusters between HFIP and the nitrogen atom, whereas upon using catalytic amounts of HFIP, the compounds act as an N-nucleophile. All alkylation products were transformed into the corresponding indoles and quinolines via oxidation in the presence of diethyl azodicarboxylate (DEAD). Furthermore, the synthetic utilities have been showcased with both the removal of the tert-butyl groups from the C5-alkylated indole products and submission to their Suzuki coupling reactions.

Enantioselective Catalytic C-H Amidations: An Highlight

The crucial role played by compounds bearing amide functions, not only in biological processes but also in several fields of chemistry, life polymers and material sciences, has brought about many significant discoveries and innovative approaches for their chemical synthesis. Indeed, a plethora of strategies has been developed to reach such moieties. Amides within chiral molecules are often associated with biological activity especially in life sciences and medicinal chemistry. In most of these cases, their synthesis requires extensive rethinking methodologies. In the very last years (2019–2020), enantioselective C-H functionalization has appeared as a straightforward alternative to reach chiral amides. Therein, an overview on these transformations within this timeframe is going to be given.

Transition metal-catalyzed C–H functionalizations of indoles

This review summarises a wide range of transformations on the indole skeleton, including arylation, alkenylation, alkynylation, acylation, nitration, borylation, and amidation, using transition-metal catalyzed C–H functionalization as the key step.