M. J. Harvey et al. / Tetrahedron Letters 49 (2008) 4780–4783
4783
4. For useful points-of-entry into the literature on studies directed towards the
total synthesis of the title alkaloids see: (a) Kuboyama, T.; Yokoshima, S.;
Tokuyama, H.; Fukuyama, T. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2004, 101, 11966; (b)
Yokoshima, S.; Ueda, T.; Kobayashi, S.; Sato, A.; Kuboyama, T.; Tokuyama, H.;
Fukuyama, T. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2002, 124, 2137; (c) Magnus, P.; Mendoza, J. S.;
Stamford, A.; Ladlow, M.; Willis, P. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1992, 114, 10232; (d)
Kuehne, M. E.; Matson, P. A.; Bornmann, W. G. J. Org. Chem. 1991, 56, 513; (e)
Kutney, J. P.; Choi, L. S. L.; Nakano, J.; Tsukamoto, H.; McHugh, M.; Boulet, C. A.
Heterocycles 1988, 27, 1845; (f) Mangeney, P.; Andriamialisoa, R. Z.; Langlois,
N.; Langlois, Y.; Potier, P. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1979, 101, 2243.
5. See, for example: (a) Johnson, P. D.; Sohn, J.-H.; Rawal, V. H. J. Org. Chem. 2006,
71, 7899; (b) Ishikawa, H.; Elliot, G. I.; Velcicky, J.; Choi, Y.; Boger, D. L. J. Am.
Chem. Soc. 2006, 128, 10596; (c) Fekete, M.; Kolonits, P.; Novak, L. Heterocycles
2005, 65, 165; (d) Fahy, J.; Thillaye du Boullay, V.; Bigg, D. C. H. Bioorg. Med.
Chem. Lett. 2002, 12, 505.
and acid-sensitive moieties might be considered especially prone to
electrophilic and protic attack. Equally gratifying was the observa-
tion that each of the 12
a-iodoenones 11a–f (n = 1–3) readily
engaged in a Pd[0]-catalyzed Ullmann cross-coupling reaction with
o-iodonitrobenzene (5, X = I) to give the anticipated products 10a–f
(n = 1–3) in yields ranging from a low of 56% [for products such as
10c (n = 2)] to a high of 91% [for product 10f (n = 2)].
The reductive cyclizations of compounds of the general form 10
proceeded relatively smoothly when the relevant substrates were
exposed to dihydrogen in the presence of 10% Pd on C. In this man-
ner, the target compounds 9 were produced in yields ranging from
67% to 98%. The full range of analogs of the indole–indoline core of
the natural products 1 and 2 generated using the present protocols
is shown in Figure 2. The spectral data derived from these com-
pounds were in complete accord with the assigned structures.14
The results described serve to highlight the utility of the Pinhey
arylation and Pd[0]-catalyzed Ullmann cross-coupling reactions in
the synthesis of rather densely functionalized indoles, a situation
that augers well for the application of such protocols in the rapid
construction of a wide range of analogs of the title natural prod-
ucts. In this connection, it was also interesting to observe that
reductive cyclization of the Ullmann cross-coupling product 10b
6. Ishikawa, H.; Colby, D. A.; Boger, D. L. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2008, 130, 420; and
references cited therein.
7. See, for example: (a) Hu, L.; Jiang, J.-d.; Qu, J.; Li, Y.; Jin, J.; Li, Z.-r.; Boykin, D. W.
Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2007, 17, 3613; (b) Álvarez, C.; Álvarez, R.; Corchete, P.;
Pérez-Melero, C.; Peláez, R.; Medarde, M. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2007, 17,
3417; (c) Romagnoli, R.; Baraldi, P. G.; Jung, M. K.; Iaconinoto, M. A.; Carrion, M.
D.; Remusat, V.; Preti, D.; Tabrizi, M. A.; Francesca, F.; De Clercq, E.; Balzarini, J.;
Hamel, E. Bioorg. Med. Chem. Lett. 2005, 15, 4048; (d) Pettit, G. R.; Toki, B.;
Herald, D. L.; Verdier-Pinard, P.; Boyd, M. R.; Hamel, E.; Pettit, R. K. J. Med. Chem.
1998, 41, 1688; (e) Getahun, Z.; Jurd, L.; Chu, P. S.; Lin, C. M.; Hamel, E. J. Med.
Chem. 1992, 35, 1058.
8. Banwell, M. G.; Kelly, B. D.; Kokas, O. J.; Lupton, D. W. Org. Lett. 2003, 5, 2497;
This type of protocol has also been extended to the synthesis of quinolines and
related systems: Banwell, M. G.; Lupton, D. W.; Ma, X.; Renner, J.; Sydnes, M. O.
Org. Lett. 2004, 6, 2741; Some, S.; Ray, J. K.; Banwell, M. G.; Jones, M. T.
Tetrahedron Lett. 2007, 48, 3609.
15
(n = 3) proceeded smoothly using TiCl3 (rather than dihydrogen
in the presence of 10% palladium on carbon) to give the novel
indole 17 in 68% yield. While the mechanism of this conversion
remains uncertain, it should provide a means for the construction
of a series of new bis-indoles related to the core of (+)-vinblastine
(1) and (+)-vincristine (2). Work directed toward such ends is now
underway in our laboratories and results will be reported in due
course.
9. (a) Krafft, M. E.; Cran, J. W. Synlett 2005, 1263; (b) Ramanarayanan, G. V.;
Shukla, V. G.; Akamanchi, K. G. Synlett 2002, 2059; (c) Posner, G. H.; Afarinkia,
K.; Dai, H. Org. Synth. 1996, 73, 231; (d) Smith, A. B., III; Braca, S. J.; Pilla, N. N.;
Guaciaro, M. A. J. Org. Chem. 1982, 47, 1855; (e) Johnson, C. R.; Adams, J. P.;
´
Braun, M. P.; Senanayake, C. B. W.; Wovkulich, P. M.; Uskokovic, M. R.
Tetrahedron Lett. 1992, 33, 917.
10. Ito, Y.; Hirao, T.; Saegusa, T. J. Org. Chem. 1978, 43, 1011.
11. This and the other aryl lead compounds reported here, viz. compounds 13a–e,
were prepared using protocols defined by Pinhey and co-workers: Kozyrod, R.
P.; Morgan, J.; Pinhey, J. T. Aust. J. Chem. 1985, 38, 1147. Details will be provided
in a forthcoming full paper.
12. Pinhey, J. T. Pure Appl. Chem. 1996, 68, 819.
13. Mander, L. N.; Sethi, S. P. Tetrahedron Lett. 1983, 24, 5425.
14. Spectral data for 9e (n = 1), 9e (n = 2) and 9f (n = 2):
CO2Me
O
O2N
O
Compound 9e (n = 1): 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) d 8.28 (s, 1H), 8.02 (d,
J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.58–7.54 (complex m, 2H), 7.42 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.24–7.09
(complex m, 4H), 6.46 (d, J = 3.7 Hz, 1H), 3.77 (s, 3H), 3.55 (m, 1H), 2.91–2.82
(complex m, 2H), 2.70–2.64 (complex m, 1H), 1.65 (s, 9H); 13C NMR (75 MHz,
CDCl3) d 173.8, 149.6, 141.2, 137.4, 134.1, 130.8, 127.5, 126.5, 124.2, 122.1,
121.8, 119.8, 119.3, 118.6, 118.1, 115.4, 111.9, 107.3, 83.8, 59.5, 52.7, 44.0,
28.1, 22.8; mmax (neat)/cmꢀ1 (NaCl) 3385, 2950, 1733, 1467, 1371, 1257, 731;
MeO2C
OMe
MeO
N
H
10b (n = 3)
Acknowledgments
17
MS m/z (EI) 430 (M+, 16%), 371 (17), 315 (65), 84 (100); HRMS found: M+Å
,
430.1892. C26H26N2O4 requires M+Å, 430.1893.
Compound 9e (n = 2): 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) d 8.51 (s, 1H), 8.03 (d,
J = 8.9 Hz, 1H), 7.60–7.58 (complex m, 2H), 7.36 (d, J = 7.8 Hz, 1H), 7.25–7.12
(complex m, 3H), 7.01 (dd, J = 8.9 and 1.8 Hz, 1H), 6.45 (d, J = 3.6 Hz, 1H), 3.83
(s, 3H), 2.81–2.69 (complex m, 4H), 2.21–2.05 (complex m, 1H), 1.86–1.68
(complex m, 1H), 1.65 (s, 9H); 13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3) d 174.4, 149.7, 138.5,
135.9, 131.3, 130.5, 129.0, 127.0, 126.5, 122.8, 122.1, 119.4, 119.2, 118.6, 115.0,
114.1, 111.0, 107.4, 83.8, 53.3, 52.7, 37.0, 28.1, 21.0, 19.7; mmax (neat)/cmꢀ1
(NaCl) 3403, 2935, 1733, 1464, 1371, 1255, 1143, 731; MS m/z (EI) 444 (M+,
88%), 385 (42), 329 (100); HRMS found: M+Å, 444.2048. C27H28N2O4 requires
M+Å, 444.2049.
We thank the Institute of Advanced Studies and the Australian
Research Council for financial support.
References and notes
Compound 9f (n = 2): 1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3) d 8.27 (s, 1H), 7.80 (s, 1H),
7.60 (d, J = 7.4 Hz, 1H), 7.48 (d, J = 3.7 Hz, 1H), 7.33 (d, J = 7.4 Hz, 1H), 7.24–
7.13 (complex m, 2H), 6.67 (s, 1H), 6.31 (d, J = 3.7 Hz, 1H), 3.93 (s, 3H), 3.79
(s, 3H), 2.80–2.76 (complex m, 3H), 2.25 (complex m, 2H), 1.87 (complex m,
1H), 1.67 (s, 9H); 13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3) d 175.0, 154.4, 149.8, 135.8,
130.7, 128.9, 127.3, 124.5, 123.3, 122.0, 121.8, 119.2, 118.5, 118.2, 114.3,
111.0, 107.4, 98.3, 83.5, 55.7, 52.4, 51.0, 32.1, 28.1, 21.0, 19.3; mmax (neat)/
cmꢀ1 3400, 2945, 1733, 1623, 1535, 1373; MS m/z (EI) 474 (M+, 91%), 415
(53), 374 (100), 359 (100); HRMS found: M+Å, 474.2145. C28H30N2O5 requires
M+Å, 474.2155.
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