An expeditious synthesis of structural analogs of the marine cytotoxic agents grossularines-1 and -2

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/0040-4039(95)00323-5

A short access to 2-carbethoxy-3-(5-imidazolyl)indoles (13, 14, 16), featuring Pd-catalyzed cross coupling between 3-iodoindoles (10-12) and imidazolostannane (9) has been developed. These derivatives when subjected to tandem modified Curtius rearrangement-intramolecular electrocyclization led to the pyridones (19-23) which are key intermediates in the synthesis of the analogs (31), (33) and (36) of the naturally occurring cytotoxic α-carbolines grossularines-1 and -2 (1,2).