Palladium-catalyzed Tsuji-Trost-type reaction of benzofuran-2-ylmethyl acetates with nucleophiles

Synthesis of Polysubstituted 1,2-Dihydro-3H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indol-3-ones through Domino Palladium-Catalyzed Reactions of Indol-2-ylmethyl Acetates with 1,3-Dicarbonyl Derivatives

A straightforward assembly of polysubstituted 1,2-dihydro-3H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indol-3-ones through a domino palladium-catalyzed reaction of indol-2-ylmethyl acetates with 1,3-dicarbonyl derivatives is described. The key role of the features of the 1,3-dicarbonyls on the reaction outcome has been explored. The employment of 2-methylcyclohexan-1,3-dione as the dicarbonyl source could allow further challenging indole nucleus functionalizations.

Catalytic Asymmetric Benzylation of Azomethine Ylides Enabled by Synergistic Lewis Acid/Palladium Catalysis

The synergistic chiral Lewis acid/achiral Pd catalyst system was successfully applied in the enantioselective benzylation of various imine esters, giving a range of α-benzyl-substituted α-amino acid derivatives in satisfactory yield with excellent enantioselectivity. It is worth noting that this strategy exhibits good tolerance for bicyclic and monocyclic benzylic electrophiles. Furthermore, the utility of this synthetic protocol was demonstrated by the expedient preparation of enantioenriched antihypertensive drug α-methyl-l-dopa.

Synthesis of Indole/Benzofuran-Containing Diarylmethanes through Palladium-Catalyzed Reaction of Indolylmethyl or Benzofuranylmethyl Acetates with Boronic Acids

The palladium-catalyzed synthesis of indole/benzofuran-containing diarylmethanes starting from indolylmethyl or benzofuranylmethyl acetates with boronic acids has been investigated. The success of the reaction is influenced by the choice of precatalyst: with indolylmethyl acetates the reaction works well with [Pd(η3-C3H5)Cl]2/XPhos while with benzofuranylmethyl acetates Pd2(dba)3/XPhos is more efficient. The good to high yields and the simplicity of the experimental procedure make this protocol a versatile synthetic tool for the preparation of 2- and 3-substituted indoles and 2-benzo[b]furans. The methodology can be advantageously extended to the preparation of a key precursor of Zafirlukast.