Simple and regioselective bromination of 5,6-disubstituted-indan-1-ones with Br2 under acidic and basic conditions

Article abstract of DOI:10.3390/12010074

Bromination of 5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one with Br₂ in acetic acid at room temperature produced exclusively the corresponding 2,4-dibromo compound in 95% yield. Reaction of 5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one with Br2 in the presence of KOH, K₂CO₃ or Cs₂CO₃ at ～0°C gave the monobrominated product 4-bromo-5,6-dimethoxyindan-3-one in 79%, 81% and 67% yield, respectively. 5,6-Dihydroxyindan-1-one was dibrominated on the aromatic ring affording 4,7-dibromo-5,6-dihydroxyindan-1-one both in acetic acid at room temperature and in the presence of KOH at ～0° C. 5,6-Difluoroindan-1-one and 1-indanone were α-monobrominated in acetic acid and α,aα-dibrominated under KOH conditions at room temperature.

Full text of DOI:10.3390/12010074

Molecules 2007, 12, 74-85
molecules
ISSN 1420-3049
http://www.mdpi.org
Full Paper
Simple and Regioselective Bromination of 5,6-Disubstituted-
indan-1-ones with Br2 Under Acidic and Basic Conditions
Taeyoung Choi and Eunsook Ma *
College of Pharmacy, Catholic University of Daegu, Hayang, 712-702, Korea, Tel. 82-053-850-3621,
Fax. 82-053-850-3602.
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-mail: masook@cu.ac.kr
Received: 21 December 2006; in revised form: 25 January 2007 / Accepted: 26 January 2007 /
Published: 29 January 2007
Abstract: Bromination of 5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one with Br2 in acetic acid at room
temperature produced exclusively the corresponding 2,4-dibromo compound in 95%
yield. Reaction of 5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one with Br2 in the presence of KOH, K2CO3 or
Cs2CO3 at ~0°C gave the monobrominated product 4-bromo-5,6-dimethoxyindan-3-one in
79%, 81% and 67% yield, respectively. 5,6-Dihydroxyindan-1-one was dibrominated on
the aromatic ring affording 4,7-dibromo-5,6-dihydroxyindan-1-one both in acetic acid at
room temperature and in the presence of KOH at ~0°C. 5,6-Difluoroindan-1-one and 1-
indanone were α-monobrominated in acetic acid and α,α-dibrominated under KOH
conditions at room temperature.
Keywords: 5,6-Dimethoxyindan-1-one, 5,6-dihydroxyindan-1-one, regioselective
aromatic bromination, α-bromination.
Introduction
Bromoaromatics are widely used as intermediates in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals,
agrochemicals and specialty chemical products [1]. Recently, bromoarenes have assumed increasing
importance in organic synthesis as useful reagents for functionalization through carbon-carbon bond
formation of diarenes, ethylenic, or acetylenic condensation via metal catalyzed cross coupling
reactions such as the Suzuki, Negishi, and Sonogashira reactions [2]. Various reagents and reaction

Molecules 2007, 12
75
conditions have been developed and reported for the bromination of aromatic systems using different
brominating agents, including Br2/SbF3/HF [3], NBS/H2SO4/CF3COOH [4], NBS/NaOH [5], NBS/
FeCl3 [6], HBr/tert-BuOOH, HBr/H2O2, and HBr/DMSO [7], NH4Br/H2O2/CH3COOH [8], CuBr/tert-
BuONO [9], Br2/SO2Cl2 over microporous catalyst [10], 3-methylimidazolium tribromide [11],
NaBr/Oxone®, KBr/Oxone®, and KBr/H2O2/Oxone® [12], Br2/tetrabutylammonium peroxydisulfate
[13], quaternary ammonium tribromide [14] and quinolinium bromochromate in glacial acetic acid
[15].
On the other hand, selective α-bromination of carbonyl compounds is another important
transformation, as the resulting α-brominated products are also versatile synthetic intermediates. Some
of the reported methods involve the use of NBS/NH4OAc [16], hypervalent iodine
sulfonate/magnesium halides under microwaves [17], N-halosuccinimide/TsOH/CH3CN [18], Br2/C2-
symmetric diphenylpyrrolidine catalyst [19], nonselective dibromination/selective debromination [20],
N-methylpyrrolidin-2-one hydrotribromide complex (MPHT) [21].
We report herein our attempts to find a simple, regioselective and high-yielding monobromination
method for the aromatic bromination of 5,6-dimethoxy-, 5,6-dihydroxy-, 5,6-difluoroindan-1-one and
indan-1-one, which all possess both an aromatic ring and an unprotected carbonyl group. The reaction
conditions studied involved the use of Br2 under neutral, acidic and basic conditions and a variety of
well known brominating reagents such as KBr, NH4Br and pyridinium bromochromate.
Results and Discussion
A number of different bromination methods were examined using as a model compound 5,6-
dimethoxyindan-1-one (1), which was synthesized according to the previously reported procedure [22].
The results are summarized in Table 1.
When compound 1 was reacted with Br2 in CCl4 (entry I) or in CHCl3 (entry III) for 2 hrs at room
temperature, 2,2-dibromo-5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one (2) was obtained in 44% or 22% yield as the
major product and 2,2,4-tribromo-5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one (3) was obtained in 5% or 2% yield,
1
respectively, along with recovered starting material. In the H-NMR spectrum of 2 the two C3 proton
peaks were identified as a singlet at 4.22 ppm and the two aromatic hydrogens were observed at 6.79
and 7.30 ppm. The molecular ion peak at m/z 350 corresponding to the dibrominated product was also
observed in its mass spectrum. In the 1H-NMR spectrum of 3, the two proton peaks of C3 appeared as a
singlet at 4.16 ppm and one aromatic hydrogen was seen at 7.37 ppm. The Br-substituted position of
the aromatic ring was identified from the NOESY spectrum. If the C4 hydrogen were not substituted
with bromine, a correlation should be observed between the C4 and C3 hydrogens in the NOESY
spectrum, but we did not observe such a cross peak, therefore we conclude that the 4-bromo derivative
was synthesized. The molecular ion peak at m/z 428 which confirmed the formation of a tribrominated
product was noted in the mass spectrum of compound 3.
Under ice bath conditions, 2-bromo-5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one (4) and 4-bromo-5,6-dimethoxy-
indan-1-one (5) were formed in 35% and 14% yield using CCl4 as solvent, and in 14% and 5% yield in
CHCl3 (entries II, IV).

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76
Table 1: Bromination of 5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one (1).
O
H CO
3
Products
H CO
3
1 (100 mg, 0.52 mmol)
Entry
Reaction conditions
Products (Yield ) b
O
O
H3CO
H CO
3
Br
Br
Br
Br
I
Br2a (0.52 mmol)/CCl4/rt/2hrs
H3CO
H CO
3
Br
2 (44%)
3 (5%)
O
O
H3CO
H3CO
H3CO
Br
III
Br2 (0.52 mmol)/CCl4/ice bath/2 hrs
H3CO
Br
4 (35%)
5 (14%)
II
Br2 (0.52 mmol)/CHCl3/rt/2 hrs
2 (22%)
4 (14%)
3 (2%)
IV
Br2 (0.52 mmol)/CHCl3/ice bath/2 hrs
5 (5%)
5 (8%)
V
Br2 (0.52 mmol)/I2, Fe/CCl4/ice bath/6 hrs
4 (32%)
O
H3CO
H3CO
Br
VI
Br2 (0.52 mmol)/AlCl3 (1.04 mmol)/CH2Cl2/ice bath/2 hrs
Br
6 (29%)
VII
VIII
IX
KBr (0.57 mmol)/Oxone® (0.57 mmol)/MeOH/0→5°C/2 hrs
4 (46%)
NBS (0.57 mmol)/THF/rt/1 hr
No reaction
No reaction
No reaction
NH4Br (0.57 mmol)/H2O2 (0.57 mmol)/AcOH/rt/2 hrs
Pyridinium bromochromate (0.52 mmol)/glacial AcOH/30-40°C/
20 min.
X
a
When Br2 was used the reaction was carried out with exclusion of light;
b Yields refer to pure isolated products. The recovered starting material and traces
of other product(s) are not listed.
1
In the H-NMR spectrum of 4, the single C2 proton appeared as two double doublets at 4.66 ppm,
two C3 proton peaks were observed as double doublets at 3.34 and 3.77 ppm and two aromatic
hydrogens were seen at 6.85 and 7.23 ppm. The molecular ion peak at m/z 271 in the mass spectrum of
compound 4 indicated the formation of a monobrominated product. In the 1H-NMR spectrum of 5, two
proton peaks of C2 and C3 were identified as triplets at 2.71 and 3.01 ppm and an aromatic proton was
observed at 7.21 ppm. The mass spectrum of 5 was similar to that of compound 4.
The reaction of Br2, I2 and Fe with 1 in CCl4 for 6 hrs in an ice bath gave compound 4 (entry V),
while in the presence of AlCl3, the reaction of 1 and Br2 in CH2Cl2 for 2 hrs in an ice bath afforded
2,4-dibromo-5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one (6) and 5 in yields of 25% and 9 %, respectively (entry VI). In

Molecules 2007, 12
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1
the H-NMR spectrum of 6, the one proton peak of C2 was observed as a multiplet at 4.62-4.69 ppm
and the two proton peaks of C3 were observed as a double triplet at 3.29 ppm and as two double
doublets at 3.72 ppm. One aromatic proton was observed at 7.28 ppm. The molecular ion peak at m/z
350 in the mass spectrum of 6 confirmed the dibrominated nature of the product.
KBr and Oxone® (2K2HSO5ּKHSO4ּK2SO4) is an oxybromination reagent used in high para-
selective brominations of aromatic compounds [12]. We treated compound 1 with Oxone® and KBr in
methanol for 2 hr to obtain 4 in 46% yield (entry VII). No reactions were observed between 1 and NBS
in tetrahydrofuran (entry VIII), NH4Br/H2O2/AcOH (entry IX) or quinolium bromochromate in glacial
acetic acid (entry X).
In order to compare the reactivity and regioselectivity of different 5,6-disubstituted indan-1-ones
in the aromatic bromination, reactions of 5,6-dimethoxy- and 5,6-dihydroxyindan-1-one (1 and 8),
indan-1-one (10) and 5,6-difluoroindan-1-one (13) were also studied carried out under acidic and basic
conditions. The results are shown in Table 2.
Bromination of 1 in the presence of acetic acid at room temperature formed 6 exclusively in 95%
yield (entry XI). Under acidic conditions, the carbonyl group is easily converted to the corresponding
enol form, which reacts preferentially with molecular bromine affording the α-brominated product.
We next examined the use of solid K2CO3, KOH or Cs2CO3 as bases. The reaction of 1 and Br2/
K2CO3 in CH2Cl2 at room temperature for 1 hr gave compound 6 as the major product and 5 as a minor
one (entry XII), but under ice bath condition, 5 and 4,7-dibromo-5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one (7) were
1
obtained in 79% and 9% yields (entry XIII). In the H-NMR spectrum of 7, no aromatic proton could
be seen and the molecular ion peak at m/z 350 in the mass spectrum indicated formation of a
dibrominated product. When KOH or Cs2CO3 were used as base, compounds 5 and 7 were obtained in
81% and 7% yield with the former (entry XIV) and 67% and 20% yield with Cs2CO3 (entry XV),
respectively. Under basic and cold conditions, the rate of electrophilic aromatic substitution of Br2 can
be assumed to be faster than that of the enolate formation in 1, but if the reaction time is extended
beyond 1 hr, then the dibrominated derivative 7 is formed as the major product and the aromatic and α-
brominated product 6 is a minor product.
To apply to the other substrates the same reaction conditions that showed the best reactivity and
regioselectivity in the bromination of compound 1, we selected 1.1 equivalent of Br2 under acetic acid
conditions and 2 equivalents of Br2 under conditions containing KOH. Compound 8 was treated with
Br2 in acetic acid and using KOH to give 4,7-dibromo-5,6-dihydroxyindan-1-one (9) in 47% and 55%
yields, respectively (entry XVI). The reactions of indan-1-one (10), synthesized from 1 by a reported
method [23], with Br2 under acidic and basic conditions at room temperature gave the α-brominated
product 2-bromoindan-1-one (11) in 84% yield and the α,α-dibrominated product 2,2-dibromoindan-1-
one (12) in 67% yield, respectively (entry XVII). The reaction of 5,6-difluoroindan-1-one (13) with
Br2 in acetic acid yielded 2-bromo-5,6-difluoroindan-1-one (14) in 65% yield and with Br2 in KOH it
yielded 2,2-dibromo-5,6-difluoroindan-1-one (15) regioselectively in 84% yield (entry XVIII).
The bromination of compound 8, which possesses a strong activating group, showed exclusively
aromatic direction under acidic conditions at room temperature and KOH conditions at 0°C, and the
bromination of compound 1, with a moderately activating group, led to α-mono- and monoaromatic
substitution under acidic conditions at room temperature and monoaromatic direction under basic

Molecules 2007, 12
78
conditions at 0°C, respectively. Compounds 10 and 13, having deactivating groups, were α-
monobrominated in acetic acid and α,α-dibrominated under KOH conditions at room temperature.
Table 2: Bromination of 5,6-dimethoxy-, 5,6-dihydroxy-, 5,6-difluoro-indan-1-
one and indan-1-one (1, 8, 13 and 10) under acidic and basic conditions.
Starting
materials
Entry
Reaction conditions
Products (Yield) b
Br2a (0.57 mmol)/AcOH/rt/2 hrs
6 (95%)
XI
5 (23%)
Br2 (1.04 mmol)/K2CO3 (1.56 mmol)/CH2Cl2/
rt/1hr
6 (44%)
5 (79%)
XII
Br
O
H3CO
H3CO
Br2 (1.04 mmol)/K2CO3 (1.56 mmol)/CH2Cl2/
ice bath/1hr
1
XIII
(100 mg,
0.52 mmol)
Br
7 (9%)
Br2 (1.04 mmol)/KOH (1.56 mmol)/CH2Cl2/ ice
bath/1hr
5 (81%)
5 (67%)
7 (7%)
XIV
XV
Br2 (1.04 mmol)/Cs2CO3 (1.56 mmol)/CH2Cl2/
ice bath/1hr
7 (20%)
9 (47%)
Br
Br
O
HO
HO
Br2 a (0.67 mmol)/AcOH/rt/3.5 hrs
8
XVI
(100 mg,
0.61 mmol)
Br2 (1.22 mmol)/KOH (1.83 mmol)/CH2Cl2/ice
bath/0.5 hrs
9 (55%)
O
Br2 (0.84 mmol)/AcOH/rt/2.5 hrs
Br
11 (84%)
12 (67%)
10
XVII
(100 mg,
0.76 mol)
O
Br2 (1.52 mmol)/KOH (2.28 mmol)/CH2Cl2/rt/
20 hrs
Br
Br
O
O
F
Br
14 (65%)
Br2 (0.66 mmol)/AcOH/rt/1 hr
13
(100 mg,
0.60 mol)
F
F
XVIII
Br
Br
Br2 (1.20 mmol)/KOH (1.80 mmol)/CH2Cl2/rt/
20 hrs
15 (84%)
F
a
When Br2 was used, the reactions were carried out with exclusion of light.
b
Yields refer to pure isolated products. The recovered starting material and traces of other
product(s) are not listed.

Molecules 2007, 12
79
Conclusions
We have presented a simple and regioselective method for the aromatic monobromination without
the protection of the carbonyl group of 5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one (1), using Br2 under acidic or basic
conditions. An aromatic monobrominated product, 4-bromo-5,6-dimethoxy-indan-1-one (5) was
regioselectively obtained in 81% yield under KOH conditions at 0°C. Compound 8, having the strong
OH activating group produced the aromatic dibrominated compound 9 under both acidic and basic
(KOH) conditions at 0°C. The aromatic bromination of 10 and 13 did not occur under acidic and KOH
conditions at 0°C, but α-monobromo derivatives were obtained under acidic conditions and α,α-
dibromo derivatives were obtained under KOH conditions at room temperature, respectively.
Experimental
General
All non-aqueous reactions were performed under a dry atmosphere of nitrogen. Commercial
reagents, including 1-indanone, were purchased from Aldrich, Fluka, or Sigma. 5,6-Dimethoxy-1-
indanone [22], 5,6-dihydroxy- [23] and 5,6-difluoro-1-indanone [24] were synthesized according to
known procedures. Solvents were purified and dried prior to use. Melting points were measured on a
1
Thomas-Hoover melting point apparatus and are not corrected. Unless stated otherwise H- (400
MHz), 13C-NMR (100 MHz), and NOESY spectra were recorded in CDCl3 on a Varian 400 MHz
spectrometer. Chemical shifts (δ) are in parts per million (ppm) relative to tetramethylsilane, and
coupling constants (J) are given in Hertz. IR spectra were recorded on a Jasco FT-IR 300E
spectrometer as KBr pellets. Low FAB mass spectra were obtained on a Tandem mass spectrometer.
Analytical TLC was performed on pre-coated silica gel 60 F254 plates (Merck). Solvent systems used
for TLC were ethyl acetate/n-hexane mixtures and 10% MeOH in methylene chloride. Column
chromatography was carried out on Merck silica gel 9385 (230-400 mesh), eluting with ethyl
acetate/n-hexane mixtures.
1. Bromination of 5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one (1).
1.1. Bromination with bromine/CCl4 at room temperature.
Bromine (1.3 mL, 2.60 mmol) was added with syringe to a solution of 1 (500 mg, 2.60 mmol) in
CCl4 (35 mL) at room temperature. Light was excluded from the flask and the reaction mixture was
stirred for 2 hrs. Then excess bromine and CCl4 were removed by simple distillation. The residue was
neutralized with 10% NaOH and extracted with methylene chloride, which was dried over anhydrous
MgSO4, filtered and concentrated. The residue was purified by column chromatography to give 2,2-
dibromo-5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one (2) in 44% yield and 2,2,4-tribromo-5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one
(3) in 5% yield. Compound 2: m.p.: 112-113°C; 1H-NMR δ: 3.94 (3H, s, CH3O-), 4.00 (3H, s, CH3O-
), 4.22 (2H, s, H-3), 6.79 (1H, s, Ar-H), 7.30 (1H, s, Ar-H); 13C-NMR δ: 52.4, 56.4, 56.6, 57.3, 106.3,
106.7, 121.4, 142.6, 150.5, 157.5, 191.7; GC-MS (EI, M+) m/z: 350; IR cm-1: 1709 (C=O). Compound

Molecules 2007, 12
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1
3: m.p.: 170-171°C; H-NMR δ: 3.94 (3H, s, CH3O-), 4.00 (3H, s, CH3O-), 4.16 (2H, s, H-3), 7.37
(1H, s, Ar-H); 13C-NMR δ: 53.0, 55.7, 56.6, 61.2, 107.2, 115.3, 125.4, 141.3, 154.4, 154.6, 191.8; GC-
MS (EI, M+) m/z: 428; IR cm-1: 1723 (C=O).
1.2. Bromination with bromine/CCl4 in an ice bath.
The experimental method described above in 1.1. was followed, with the exception that the
reaction mixture was placed in an ice bath, to yield 2-bromo-5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one (4) in 35%
yield and 4-bromo-5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one (5) in 14% yield, respectively. Compound 4: m.p.: 160-
161°C (lit. 159-160°C [25]). Compound 5: m.p.: 103-106°C; 1H-NMR δ: 2.71 (2H, t, J=5.4, H-3), 3.01
13
(2H, t, J=5.4, H-2), 3.90 (3H, s, CH3O-), 3.94 (3H, s, CH3O-), 7.21 (1H, s, Ar-H); C-NMR δ: 26.7,
36.5, 56.4, 60.9, 104.9, 116.5, 133.7, 149.0, 152.4, 153.8, 205.6; GC-MS (EI, M+) m/z: 271; IR cm-
1: 1696 (C=O).
1.3. Bromination with bromine/CHCl3 at room temperature.
The experimental method described in 1.1 was followed, with CHCl3 as solvent, to give 2 in 22%
yield and 3 in 2% yield.
1.4. Bromination with bromine/CHCl3 in an ice bath.
The experimental method described in 1.2 was followed, using CHCl3 as solvent, to give 4 in 14%
yield and 5 in 5% yield, respectively.
1.5. Bromination with bromine/I2, Fe in an ice bath.
A crystal of iodine and a pinch of iron powder were added to a solution of 1 (100 mg, 0.52 mmol)
in CCl4 (7 mL) and the reaction mixture was cooled to 0°C. Light was excluded from the flask and
bromine (0.26 mL, 0.52 mmol) was added with stirring over a period of 6 hrs, without allowing the
temperature to rise above 5°C. Bromine and CCl4 were removed by distillation and the residue was
washed thoroughly with 10 % NaOH solution, extracted with CH2Cl2 and the organic phase was dried
over anhydrous MgSO4, filtered and concentrated. The residue was purified by column
chromatography to give 4 in 32% yield.
1.6. Bromination with bromine/AlCl3 in an ice bath.
A dried flask was loaded with AlCl3 (693.2 mg, 5.20 mmol) in anhydrous CH2Cl2 (60 mL). A
solution of 1 (500 mg, 2.60 mmol) in anhydrous CH2Cl2 (20 mL) was then added dropwise to the
reaction mixture, which was cooled in an ice bath and bromine (1.95 mL, 1.14 mmol) was then added
with exclusion of light. After 2 hrs, the reaction mixture was poured into water, treated with 10 %
NaOH, and extracted with CH2Cl2. The organic extract was dried over anhydrous MgSO4 and the
solvent evaporated under reduced pressure. The products were purified by column chromatography

Molecules 2007, 12
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over silica gel to give 2,4-dibromo-5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one (6) in 29% yield and 5 in 8% yield.
1
Compound 6: m.p.: 120-122°C; H-NMR δ: 3.29 (1H, dt, J=18.6, 3.1, H-3a), 3.72 (1H, tdd, J=18.2,
7.4, 3.0, H-3b), 3.92 (3H, s, CH3O-), 3.99 (3H, s, CH3O-), 4.62-4.69 (1H, m, H-2), 7.28 (1H, s, Ar-H);
13C-NMR δ: 38.7, 43.6, 56.6, 61.1, 106.0, 116.0, 130.2, 145.3, 154.4, 198.5; GC-MS (EI, M+) m/z:
350; IR cm-1: 1715 (C=O).
1.7. Bromination with potassium bromide/oxone®/MeOH at room temperature.
Oxone® (703.3 mg, 1.14 mmol) was added to a stirred solution of KBr (136.1 mg, 1.14 mmol) and
1 (200 mg, 1.04 mmol) in methanol (10 mL) and the reaction mixture was stirred 2 hrs at room
temperature, then the mixture was filtered and the solvent evaporated under reduced pressure. The
products were purified by column chromatography over silica gel to give 4 in 46% yield.
1.8. Bromination with bromine/AcOH at room temperature.
Bromine (1.43 mL, 2.86 mmol) was added dropwise to solution of 1 (500 mg, 2.60 mmol) in acetic
acid (40 mL). The solution was stirred 2 hrs at room temperature. The reaction mixture was poured
into water and treated with 5 % sodium bisulfite solution to remove the excess bromine. The solid was
filtered, washed with water and recrystallized from methanol to give compound 6 in 95% yield.
1.9. Bromination with bromine/K2CO3 at room temperature.
Bromine (1.52 mL, 1.04 mmol) was added with exclusion of light to a solution of 1 (100 mg, 0.52
mmol) and K2CO3 (215 mg, 1.56 mmol) in CH2Cl2 (20 mL) at room temperature. After 1 hr the
reaction was quenched with 1 M Na2S2O3 and extracted with CH2Cl2, dried over anhydrous MgSO4
and evaporated. The products were purified by column chromatography over silica gel to give 6 in
44% yield and 5 in 23% yield, respectively.
1.10. Bromination with bromine/K2CO3 in an ice bath.
The experimental method described in 1.9 was followed, but with cooling in an ice bath, to yield 5
in 79% yield and 4,7-dibromo-5,6-dimethoxyindan-1-one (7) in 9% yield. Compound 7: m.p.: 107-
109°C; 1H-NMR δ: 2.77 (2H, t, J=5.6, H-3), 2.77 (2H, t, J=5.6, H-2), 3.91 (3H, s, CH3O-), 4.02 (3H, s,
CH3O-); 13C-NMR δ: 26.3, 37.4, 53.1, 56.6, 61.2, 61.4, 107.2, 114.6, 115.7, 153.4, 202.6; GC-MS (EI,
M+) m/z: 350; IR cm-1: 1708 (C=O).
1.11. Bromination with bromine/KOH in an ice bath
The experimental method described in 1.9 was followed to yield 5 in 81% yield and 7 in 7% yield.

Molecules 2007, 12
82
1.12. Bromination with bromine/Cs2CO3 / in an ice bath
The method described in 1.9 was followed to yield 5 in 67% yield and 7 in 20% yield.
2. Bromination of 5,6-dihydroxyindan-1-one (8): preparation of the starting material.
Compound 1 (1 g, 5.21 mmol) was held at reflux in 48% HBr (50 mL; freshly distilled) for 2 hrs
under a N2 atmosphere. The reaction mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature and evaporated
to dryness. The residue was diluted with H2O and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was
dried (anhydrous MgSO4), filtered and concentrated. The resulting residue was purified by column
chromatography (ethyl acetate-n-hexane = 1:5) to give 5,6-dihydroxyindan-1-one (8, 500 mg, 59 %);
1
m.p.: 107-109°C; H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ: 2.40 (2H, t, J=6.8, C3-H), 2.80 (2H, t, J=5.4, C2-H), 6.75
(1H, s, Ar-H), 6.84 (1H, s, Ar-H); 13C-NMR (DMSO) δ: 25.3, 36.7, 108.3, 112.4, 129.1, 146.2, 149.4,
153.6, 205.0; GC-MS (EI, M+) m/z: 164.
2.1. Bromination with bromine/AcOH at room temperature.
Bromine (0.34 mL, 0.67 mmol) was added dropwise to solution of 8 (100 mg, 0.61 mmol) in acetic
acid (10 mL). The reaction mixture was stirred 3.5 hrs at room temperature and worked up as
described for 1.8 to yield 4,7-dibromo-5,6-dihydroxyindan-1-one (9) in 47% yield; m.p.: 179-182°C;
13
1H-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ: 2.59 (2H, t, J=5.6, H-3), 2.81 (2H, t, J=5.6, H-2); C-NMR (DMSO-d6) δ:
26.9, 36.8, 98.6, 132.8, 144.8, 146.8, 152.0, 205.8; GC-MS (EI, M+) m/z: 322; IR cm-1: 3438 (OH),
1664 (C=O).
2.2. Bromination with bromine/KOH in an ice bath.
Bromine (1.78 mL, 1.22 mmol) was added with exclusion of light to a solution of 8 (100 mg,
0.61mmol) and KOH (252 mg, 1.83 mmol) in CH2Cl2 (20 mL) at room temperature. After 30 min in
an ice bath, the reaction mixture was worked up as described for 1.9 to give 9 in 55% yield.
3. Bromination of indan-1-one (10)
3.1. Bromination with bromine/AcOH at room temperature
Bromine (0.43 mL, 0.84 mmol) was added dropwise to a solution of 10 (100 mg, 0.61 mmol) in
acetic acid (10 mL). The reaction mixture was stirred 2.5 hrs at room temperature and worked up as
described for 1.8 to yield 2-bromoindan-1-one (11) in 84% yield. Compound 11: m.p.: 134-136°C (lit.
132-134°C [26])
3.2. Bromination with bromine/KOH at room temperature
Bromine (2.22 mL, 1.52 mmol) was added with exclusion of light to a solution of 10 (100 mg, 0.61
mmol) and KOH (314 mg, 2.28 mmol) in CH2Cl2 (20 mL) at room temperature. After 20 hrs at this

Molecules 2007, 12
83
temperature the reaction mixture was worked up as described for 1.9 to give 2,2-dibromoindan-1-one
(12) in 67% yield. Compound 12: m.p.: 132-133°C (lit. 134°C [27]).
4. Bromination of 5,6-difluoroindan-1-one (13)
4.1. Bromination with bromine/AcOH at room temperature
Bromine (0.34 mL, 0.66 mmol) was added a dropwise to a solution of 13 (100 mg, 0.60 mmol) in
acetic acid (10 mL). The reaction mixture was stirred 1 hr at room temperature and worked up as
described for 1.8 to yield 2-bromo-5,6-difluoroindan-1-one (14) in 65% yield. Compound 14: m.p.:
68-70°C; 1H-NMR δ: 3.39 (1H, d, J=18.0, H-3a), 3.81 (1H, t, J=22.0, 7.6, H-3b), 4.66 (1H, dd, J=7.4,
13
3.2, H-2), 7.27 (1H, t, J=8.0, Ar-H), 7.64 (1H, t, J=8.0, Ar-H); C-NMR δ: 41.9, 47.7, 117.5, 117.7,
119.3, 119.5, 152.3, 154.2, 201.9; GC-MS (EI, M+) m/z: 247; IR cm-1: 1720 (C=O).
4.2. Bromination with bromine/KOH at room temperature
Bromine (1.75 mL, 1.20 mmol) was added with exclusion of light to a solution of 13 (100 mg, 0.60
mmol) and KOH (248 mg, 1.80 mmol) in CH2Cl2 (20 mL) at room temperature. After 20 hrs at this
temperature, the reaction mixture was worked up as described for 1.9 to give 2,2-dibromo-5,6-
1
difluoroindan-1-one (15) in 84% yield. Compound 15: m.p.: 124-126°C; H-NMR δ: 4.24 (2H, s, H-
13
3), 7.23 (1H, t, J=7.6, Ar-H), 7.74 (1H, t, J= 8.0, Ar-H); C-NMR δ: 52.0, 55.4, 115.1, 144.3, 150.4,
152.8, 155.5, 158.0, 191.0; GC-MS (EI, M+) m/z: 326; IR cm-1: 1720 (C=O).
Acknowledgements
We thank the Catholic University of Daegu for financial support.
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Sample Availability: Samples of the compounds are available from authors.
© 2007 by MDPI (http://www.mdpi.org). Reproduction is permitted for noncommercial purposes.