SmI2-promoted radical addition reactions with N-(2-indolylacyl)oxazolidinones: Synthesis of bisindole compounds

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo070273d

(Chemical Equation Presented) The treatment of N-acyl oxazolidinones of N-benzyl 2-indolecarboxylic acids varying in the substitution pattern of the indole ring with samarium diiodi de at -78°C led to the formation of two indole dimer products. The major product isolated in yields from 55 to 59% represents an unsymmetrical dimer arising from 1,4-addition to the 2-indolecarboxylic acid derivative of a possible ketyl-type radical anion intermediate originating from the reduction of the exocyclic carbonyl group of the N-acyl oxazolidinone. The minor dimer, represented by a symmetrical diketone, was produced in yields ranging from 11 to 23%. Even in the presence of an α,β-unsaturated amide, dimerization was the preferred pathway rather than the formation of a γ-keto amide. Upon treatment with acid, the unsymmetrical indole dimer cyclized to form a diindolequinone. Finally, the N-acyl oxazolidinones of pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid and 3 indolecarboxylic acid preferred in both cases to undergo C-C bond formation with an acrylamide in the presence of SmI₂ rather than dimerization.

Full text of DOI:10.1021/jo070273d

SmI2-Promoted Radical Addition Reactions with
N-(2-Indolylacyl)oxazolidinones: Synthesis of Bisindole Compounds
Karl B. Lindsay,† Francesc Ferrando,†,‡ Kasper L. Christensen,† Jacob Overgaard,†
Toma`s Roca,‡ M.-Llu¨ısa Bennasar,‡ and Troels Skrydstrup*,†
Center for Insoluble Protein Structures, Department of Chemistry and Interdisciplinary Nanoscience
Center, UniVersity of Aarhus, Langelandsgade 140, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark, and Laboratory of
Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, UniVersity of Barcelona, Barcelona 08028, Spain
ts@chem.au.dk
ReceiVed February 8, 2007
The treatment of N-acyl oxazolidinones of N-benzyl 2-indolecarboxylic acids varying in the substitution
pattern of the indole ring with samarium diiodide at -78 °C led to the formation of two indole dimer
products. The major product isolated in yields from 55 to 59% represents an unsymmetrical dimer arising
from 1,4-addition to the 2-indolecarboxylic acid derivative of a possible ketyl-type radical anion
intermediate originating from the reduction of the exocyclic carbonyl group of the N-acyl oxazolidinone.
The minor dimer, represented by a symmetrical diketone, was produced in yields ranging from 11 to
23%. Even in the presence of an R,â-unsaturated amide, dimerization was the preferred pathway rather
than the formation of a γ-keto amide. Upon treatment with acid, the unsymmetrical indole dimer cyclized
to form a diindolequinone. Finally, the N-acyl oxazolidinones of pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid and
3-indolecarboxylic acid preferred in both cases to undergo C-C bond formation with an acrylamide in
the presence of SmI2 rather than dimerization.
Introduction
noesters using either reductive conditions, such as tributyltin
hydride (or in some instances tris(trimethylsilyl)silane) in the
presence of a radical initiator as exemplified in Scheme 1,2,3a
or nonreductive conditions with hexabutylditin and hν.3b The
replacement of selenoesters with alternative functionality would
nevertheless be attractive due to stability issues encompassing
the acyl radical precursors, as well as their preparation from
unstable selenol intermediates.4 Likewise, the substitution of
tin-mediated radical conditions with other radical-generating
The 2-acylindole alkaloids represent a diverse collection of
natural products possessing a variety of remarkable biological
activities.1 In the past few years, the Barcelona group has
successfully been synthesizing several 2-acylindole compounds,
including ellipticine quinones and the alkaloid calothrixin B,
exploiting as the key step either intermolecular additions2 or
intramolecular cyclization reactions3 of 2-indolylacyl radicals
with alkene and aromatic acceptors. These reactive intermediates
can be effectively generated from their corresponding sele-
(2) Bennasar, M.-L.; Roca, T.; Griera, R.; Bosch, J. Org. Lett. 2001, 3,
1697.
† University of Aarhus.
‡ University of Barcelona.
(3) (a) Bennasar, M.-L.; Roca, T.; Ferrando, F. Org. Lett. 2004, 6, 759.
(b) Bennasar, M.-L.; Roca, T.; Ferrando, F. J. Org. Chem. 2005, 70, 9077.
(c) Bennasar, M.-L.; Roca, T.; Ferrando, F. Org. Lett. 2006, 8, 561.
(4) For a comprehensive review on acyl radical chemistry, see: Chat-
gilialoglu, C.; Crich, D.; Komatsu, M.; Ryu, I. Chem. ReV. 1999, 99, 1991.
(1) (a) Sundberg, R. J. Indoles; Academic Press: New York, 1996. (b)
Joule, J. A. Science of Synthesis (Houben-Weyl, Methods of Molecular
Transformations); Georg Thieme Verlag: Stuttgart, 2000; Vol. 10, pp 361-
652. (c) Somei, M.; Yamada, F. Nat. Prod. Rep. 2005, 22, 73 and 761.
10.1021/jo070273d CCC: $37.00 © 2007 American Chemical Society
Published on Web 04/25/2007
J. Org. Chem. 2007, 72, 4181-4188
4181

Lindsay et al.
SCHEME 1. Examples of n-Bu3SnH-Mediated 2-Indolylacyl
SCHEME 3
Radical Additions to Alkenes
SCHEME 2. Examples of Radical Addition Reactions with
4-Pyridylthioesters and N-Acyl Oxazolidinones
presence of acrylates or amides and SmI2 and excess water to
provide the same class of compounds in a more reliable manner
(Scheme 2).8 For these reactions, an alternative mechanism was
proposed encompassing a chemoselective reduction of the R,â-
unsaturated amide or ester to a C3 radical species which
ultimately adds to the imide carbonyl of the N-acyl oxazolidi-
none.9
We therefore set out to investigate the possibility of promoting
similar C-C bond forming reactions with either the thiopyridyl
esters of 2-indolecarboxylic acids or their corresponding N-acyl
oxazolidinones, potentially providing a suitable alternative to
the tin-hydride-mediated reactions with selenoesters. In this
paper, we report our efforts directed at promoting these radical
addition reactions. Contrary to our initial expectations, we
disclose a novel SmI2-mediated dimerization process of indole
derivatives providing a rapid access to bisindole compounds
that possess structural entities resembling a series of biologically
active products.
conditions would be advantageous owing to purification prob-
lems and concerns regarding disposal of toxic tin wastes.
We have recently reported a convenient synthesis of γ-keto
ester/amides from a SmI2-promoted radical addition of thiopy-
ridyl esters of amino acids to acrylamides and acrylates.5,6
Although the ketones formed were identical to the products from
a formal acyl radical addition reaction, we proposed the
intermediacy of a ketyl-type radical anion as the reacting partner
with the electrophilic olefin, due to the lack of decarbonylation
products typically observed for acyl radical intermediates
generated from amino acid precursors.7 In addition, we have
demonstrated the aptitude of N-acyl oxazolidinones in the
Results and Discussion
Synthesis of Precursors. The synthesis of the appropriately
functionalized 2-indolecarboxylic acids required for this study
is outlined in Scheme 3. Four different 2-indolecarboxylic acids
1-4 with variations in the substitution pattern of the aryl ring
and at the nitrogen atom were first prepared. Starting from the
commercially available carboxylic acids 5 and 6, a three-step
sequence involving methyl ester formation, N-benzylation
(including O-benzylation for 6), or N-allylation, followed by
ester cleavage, led to the known functionalized indole derivatives
(5) Blakskjær, P.; Høj, B.; Riber, D.; Skrydstrup, T. J. Am. Chem. Soc.
2003, 125, 4030.
(6) See also: (a) Mikkelsen, L. M.; Jensen, C. M.; Høj, B.; Blakskjær,
P.; Skrydstrup, T. Tetrahedron 2003, 59, 10541. (b) Jensen, C. M.; Lindsay,
K. B.; Andreasen, P.; Skrydstrup, T. J. Org. Chem. 2005, 70, 7512. (c)
Lindsay, K. B.; Skrydstrup, T. J. Org Chem. 2006, 71, 4766.
(7) For representative examples where decarbonylation precedes acyl
radical addition, see: (a) Crich, D.; Eustace, K. A.; Ritchie, T. J.
Heterocycles 1989, 111, 7558. (b) Boger, D. L.; Mathvink, R. J. J. Org.
Chem. 1992, 57, 1429. (c) Stojanovic, A.; Renaud, P. Synlett 1997, 181.
(d) Quirante, J.; Vila, X.; Escolano, C.; Bonjoch, J. J. Org. Chem. 2002,
67, 2323.
(8) (a) Jensen, C. M.; Lindsay, K. B.; Taaning, R. H.; Karaffa, J.; Hansen,
A. M.; Skrydstrup, T. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 6544. (b) Karaffa, J.;
Lindsay, K. B.; Skrydstrup, T. J. Org Chem. 2006, 71, 8219.
(9) Hansen, A. M.; Lindsay, K. B.; Sudhadevi Antharjanam, P. K.;
Karaffa, J.; Daasbjerg, K.; Flowers, R. A., II; Skrydstrup, T. J. Am. Chem.
Soc. 2006, 128, 9616.
4182 J. Org. Chem., Vol. 72, No. 11, 2007

SmI2-Promoted Radical Addition Reactions
SCHEME 4
SCHEME 5
1-3 in good yields.10 Synthesis of the methylenedioxyindole-
carboxylic acid 4 required an initial indole synthesis exploiting
the Hemetsberger reaction according to the work of Rebelo and
co-workers.11 Hence, condensation of aldehyde 7 with the
methyl 2-azidoacetate provided the corresponding vinyl azide
in 41% yield, which was quantitatively cyclized to the methyl
2-indolecarboxylate 8 upon heating in xylene. Further elabora-
tion as before supplied the N-benzyl compound 4.
SCHEME 6
Preparation of the thioester 9 was achieved in an unoptimized
yield of 80% using an EDC-promoted coupling of the acid 1
with 4-mercaptopyridine.5 On the other hand, two approaches
were adapted for the introduction of the oxazolidinone group.
In the first approach, the 2-oxazolidinone is deprotonated in
THF with n-BuLi under low temperature and then added to the
corresponding pentafluorophenyl ester of 1 or 2. Although this
procedure provided the N-acyl oxazolidinones 10 and 11 in good
yields, the protocol is nevertheless inconvenient due to the low
solubility of the lithiated oxazolidinone in THF. Later, we found
that adaptation of the Merck procedure for the preparation of
Weinreb’s amides proved also worthy and more reliable.12
Hence, THF solutions of the acid chlorides generated from 3
and 4 were subjected to a solution of the 2-oxazolidinone
pretreated with isopropyl magnesium chloride leading to the
N-(2-indolyl)oxazolidinones 12 and 13 in an approximate yield
of 65% for both cases.
SCHEME 7
To investigate the effect of the carboxylate position on the
indole ring for these SmI2-promoted radical additions, we also
prepared the corresponding oxazolidinone derivative 16 of the
3-indolecarboxylic acid as illustrated in Scheme 4. Indole
3-carboxylic acid 14 was prepared from indole in three steps
as outlined by Hopkins et al. in an 81% overall yield.13
Transformation of acid 14 into the oxazolidinone 16 proved to
be less compliant when compared to the 2-indole acid systems,
and other methods tried were wholly ineffective. For example,
activating the 2-oxazolidinone with either Al(CH3)3 or i-PrMgCl
prior to addition to PFP ester 15 gave little or no reaction,
whereas using the corresponding acid chloride of 14 in a similar
manner gave unexpected side products. We eventually settled
on transforming the acid into its pentafluorophenyl ester 15,
followed by reaction with 2-oxazolidinone that had been
deprotonated via a very slow addition to a diluted solution of
n-BuLi in THF at -78 °C. At best, it was found that an
approximate 9:1 mixture of products was formed using this
method, where the minor byproduct corresponded to a ring-
opened oxazolidinone adding to the activated ester, and this
impurity was only successfully removed by recrystallization.
Finally, the importance of the indole ring for the subsequent
radical addition studies was examined with the 4-thiopyridine
ester and the N-acyl oxazolidinone derivative of pyrrole-2-
carboxylic acid. The synthesis of these compounds is depicted
in Scheme 5 starting from the acid 17. As before, a three-step
sequence was applied for converting 17 to the N-benzyl pyrrole
derivative 18.14,15 Subsequent transformation to the two potential
radical addition precursors 19 and 20 proceeded without
incident.
SmI2-Promoted Addition Studies. Initial studies regarding
the SmI2-promoted coupling of thioesters 9 and 19 with activated
alkenes revealed that these substrates were unreactive using
standard conditions,5 invariably only unreacted thioester could
be recovered, albeit in diminished amounts due to losses upon
workup. This was unsurprising as we have previously only been
able to achieve success with thioesters of amino acids.5,6
We had initially intended to react the oxazolidinone deriva-
tized indole 10 with activated alkenes and SmI2 as depicted in
Scheme 6.8 To our surprise, none of the desired coupling product
21 was obtained, instead two new compounds were isolated.
Conducting the same reaction in the absence of activated
alkene allowed isolation of pure products which revealed that
(10) Olgen, S.; Akaho, E.; Nebioglu, D. Eur. J. Med. Chem. 2001, 36,
747.
(11) da Rosa, F. A. F.; Rebelo, R. A.; Nascimento, M. G. J. Braz. Chem.
Soc. 2003, 14, 11.
(12) Williams, J. M.; Jobson, R. B.; Yasuda, N.; Marchesini, G.; Dolling,
U. H.; Grabowski, E. J. J. Tetrahedron Lett. 1995, 36, 5461.
(13) Hopkins, C. R.; Czekaj, M.; Kaye, S. S.; Gao, Z.; Pribish, J.; Pauls,
H.; Liang, G.; Sides, K.; Cramer, D.; Cairns, J.; Luo, Y.; Lim, H.-K.; Vaz,
R.; Rebello, S.; Maignan, S.; Dupuy, A.; Mathieu, M.; Levell, J. Bioorg.
Med. Chem. Lett. 2005, 15, 2734.
(14) Ruest, L.; Menard, H.; Moreau, V.; Laplante, F. Can. J. Chem. 2002,
80, 1662.
(15) Anderson, H. J.; Griffiths, S. J. Can. J. Chem. 1967, 45, 2227.
J. Org. Chem, Vol. 72, No. 11, 2007 4183

Lindsay et al.
radical which eventually undergoes reduction to an enolate
species followed by protonation from the solvent or upon
workup.
Subsequent oxidation in air provides the unsymmetrical dimer
22. On the other hand, ketyl radical 30 can also undergo a
homodimerization or a 1,2-addition to the carbonyl group of
10, which in both cases ultimately leads to the diketone 23.
Although we cannot exclude the presence of the C3-centered
carbon radical 31, the dimer product 32 was not detected.
In view of the biological relevance of derivatized indoles,
two further indoles were examined (Scheme 7). The N,O-
dibenzyl-5-hydroxy indole 12 was also subjected to treatment
with SmI2. The novel dimers 24 and 25 were obtained in 57
and 18% yield, respectively, and as before, the asymmetrical
dimer 24 was poorly stable. The indole 13 was also examined,
and once again, the reaction proceeded smoothly giving the two
dimers 26 and 27 in 38 and 10% yield, respectively. Interest-
ingly, this dimerization gave better results when water was
omitted from the reaction, affording the two dimers in a yield
of 55 and 11%, respectively. Fortuitously, both crystallinity and
stability of compounds 26 and 27 appeared to be improved by
the additional oxygen substitution of the indole. This allowed
X-ray crystal structures to be obtained for both products (see
Supporting Information), confirming our proposed structural
assignment. Once again, decomposition was easily promoted,
and treating a sample of 26 in CH2Cl2 with a single drop of 0.1
M HCl gave the familiar deep red insoluble solid. While we
presume this compound to possess a similar structure to that
presented for compound 28 above, no suitable crystals could
be grown for X-ray crystallography, and thus no structural
assignment has been included here.
For all three of the above dimerization reactions, it is expected
that the yield of the asymmetrical dimer would be higher than
that reported due to its low stability causing some losses upon
workup and isolation. This was highlighted experimentally by
a significant variation in yields between what were essentially
repeat experiments.
Finally, to satisfy our own curiosity, the indole-3-oxazolidi-
none 16 was also prepared and examined (Scheme 10).
Treatment of 16 with SmI2 and H2O as before gave a reaction
that proceeded at a much slower rate (significant recovered
starting material after 18 h) when compared with its 2-substituted
counterpart, giving a complicated mixture of products, none of
which could be assigned to the expected products 33 and 34.20
For this reason, we elected to examine its addition to an activated
alkene. The coupling reaction with tert-butyl acrylamide using
standard conditions8 afforded the product 35 in 55% yield (74%
based on recovered 16). Such a difference in the reactivity of
the 2- and 3-substituted indoles was not surprising when
considering the significant steric and electronic difference
between the two systems.
FIGURE 1. Biologically active indole dimers.
SCHEME 8
these two compounds were in fact indole dimers 22 and 23
(Scheme 7). Further optimization of the conditions allowed
isolation of these two derivatives in a 59 and 23% yield,
respectively.
Compound 22 was not stable, decomposing over time to give
a deep red, highly insoluble solid. This decomposition was
accelerated by treatment with dilute HCl. Treatment of a CH2-
Cl2 solution of 22 with one drop of 0.1 M HCl gave a slow
enough reaction to allow formation of crystals which then
revealed the decomposition product to be 28 (Scheme 8), the
structure of which was identified via X-ray crystallography (see
Supporting Information). We have not been able to characterize
this material further due to its poor solubility in all organic
solvents examined. Compound 23 was crystalline, and its
structural assignment was ultimately confirmed by X-ray
crystallography (see Supporting Information).
Of particular interest is the structural similarity of compounds
22 and 28 to biologically active indole dimers (Figure 1). For
example, 22 possesses the carbonyl bridged bisindole framework
seen in the marine alkaloid, caulersin.16,17 Compound 28 is
simply the N-benzyl-protected version of indolocarbazole 29,
a compound which represents a potent agonist for the aryl
hydrocarbon receptor.18,19
We briefly experimented with using an N-allyl protecting
group for the indole substrates, by reaction of oxazolidinone
11, but it soon became apparent that this was an inferior choice.
While the dimerization products could be obtained, as evidenced
by mass spectrometry, the products were always obtained in
lower yield and in poor purity due to several additional
unidentified byproducts.
Scheme 9 depicts a possible mechanistic scenario for the
formation of the indole dimers 22 and 23 from the oxazolidinone
10. SmI2-mediated reduction of the exocyclic carbonyl group
of the N-acyl oxazolidinone generates a ketyl-type radical anion
intermediate 30. 1,4-Addition of this radical to the C-C double
bond in 10 leads to the formation of a new C2-centered carbon
The pyrrole oxazolidinone 20 also underwent coupling with
an activated alkene. In this case, n-butyl acrylate was used,
which afforded γ-keto ester 36 with a coupling yield of 52%
under standard conditions (Scheme 11). Taken together, these
two results indicate that the dimerization process is unique to
the 2-substituted indole oxazolidinones.
(16) Su, J.-Y.; Zhu, Y.; Zeng, L.-M.; Xu, X.-H. J. Nat. Prod. 1997, 60,
1043.
(17) For previous syntheses of caulersin, see: (a) Fresneda, P. M.;
Molina, P.; Saez, M. A. Synlett 1999, 1651. (b) Wahlstro¨m, N.; Stensland,
B.; Bergman, J. Tetrahedron 2004, 60, 2147. (c) Miki, Y.; Aoki, Y.;
Miyatake, H.; Minematsu, T.; Hibino, H. Tetrahedron Lett. 2006, 47, 5215.
(18) (a) Whitlock, J. P., Jr. Annu. ReV. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 1999, 39,
103. (b) Nebert, D. W.; Roe, A. L.; Dieter, M. Z.; Solis, W. A.; Yang, Y.;
Dalton, T. P. Biochem. Pharmacol. 2000, 59, 65.
In conclusion, we have presented a new indole dimerization
reaction which is promoted by SmI2. The products obtained in
(20) Interestingly, dimerization reactions involving the C2-position have
previously been observed in SmI2-promoted coupling reactions of indole-
3-carbonyl compounds. Lin, S.-C; Yang, F.-D.; Shiue, J.-S.; Yang, S.-M.;
Fang, J.-M. J. Org. Chem. 1998, 63, 2909.
(19) Bergman, J.; Wahlstro¨m, N.; Yudina, L. N.; Tholander, J.; Lidgren,
G. Tetrahedron 2002, 58, 1443.
4184 J. Org. Chem., Vol. 72, No. 11, 2007

SmI2-Promoted Radical Addition Reactions
SCHEME 9
SCHEME 10
SCHEME 11
were dried (MgSO4), filtered, and evaporated in vacuo. The pure
product was obtained by column chromatography (increasing
polarity from 20 to 40% EtOAc in pentane as eluant), which gave
the title compound (115 mg, 0.319 mmol, 80%): 1H NMR (400
MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 8.65 (dd, J ) 4.8, 1.6 Hz, 2H), 7.77 (d, J
) 7.6 Hz, 1H), 7.67 (s, 1H), 7.45 (dd, J ) 4.0, 1.2 Hz, 2H), 7.33-
7.38 (m, 2H), 7.18-7.27 (m, 4H), 7.02 (d, J ) 6.4 Hz, 2H), 5.74
(s, 2H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 179.7, 150.0 (2C),
140.1, 138.4, 137.4, 132.4, 128.5 (2C), 128.2 (2C), 127.2, 126.7,
126.1 (2C), 126.0, 123.0, 121.5, 112.3, 111.0, 48.1.
3-(1-Benzyl-1H-indole-2-carbonyl)oxazolidin-2-one (10). Method
A: n-BuLi (2.8 mL, 4.48 mmol, 1.60 M in THF) was dissolved in
THF (3 mL), then the solution was cooled to -78 °C. A solution
of 2-oxazolidinone (396 mg, 4.549 mmol) in THF (5 mL) was then
added dropwise over 10 min, and the solution was stirred for a
further 30 min. A solution of PFP ester 38 (2.08 g, 4.98 mmol) in
THF (7 mL) was then added dropwise over 5 min, and the mixture
was stirred at -78 °C for 1 h before it was poured into water (50
mL) and extracted with EtOAc (3 × 50 mL). The combined organic
portions were dried (MgSO4), filtered, and evaporated in vacuo.
The pure product was obtained by column chromatography
(increasing polarity from 10 to 60% EtOAc in pentane as eluant),
which gave the title compound (1.00 g, 3.12 mmol, 70%) as a
colorless solid. Method B: The indole acid 1 (1.50 g, 5.97 mmol)
was dissolved in CH2Cl2 (25 mL), then DMF (three drops) and
oxalyl chloride (1.30 mL, 14.93 mmol) were added. The mixture
was stirred at 20 °C for 1 h, by which time gas evolution had ceased.
All volatiles were removed in vacuo, giving the crude acid chloride
this process are both novel and exotic, and in view of the
prominence of indoles within biologically relevant compounds,
we expect considerable further interest in this class of com-
pounds.
Experimental Section
S-Pyridin-4-yl 1-Benzyl-1H-indole-2-carbothioate (9). The
indole acid 1 (100 mg, 0.398 mmol) was dissolved in CH2Cl2 (10
mL) before 4-mercaptopyridine (88 mg, 0.792 mmol) and EDC‚
HCl (172 mg, 0.897 mmol) were added. The mixture was stirred
at 20 °C for 3 h, then poured into 5% NaHCO3 (40 mL) and
extracted with CH2Cl2 (3 × 20 mL). The combined organic portions
J. Org. Chem, Vol. 72, No. 11, 2007 4185

Lindsay et al.
which was used immediately without further purification. In a
separate flask, 2-oxazolidinone (779 mg, 8.95 mmol) was dissolved
in THF (20 mL), and then the solution was cooled to 0 °C before
n-BuLi (1.60 M in hexanes, 5.60 mL, 8.96 mmol) was added. This
mixture was stirred at 0 °C for 1 h, then a solution of the acid
chloride (5.97 mmol) in THF (10 mL) was added dropwise over 5
min. The mixture was stirred at 0 °C for 1 h, then poured into
water (50 mL) and extracted with EtOAc (3 × 20 mL). The
combined organic portions were dried (MgSO4), filtered, and
evaporated to dryness. The pure product was obtained by column
chromatography (increasing polarity from 20 to 60% EtOAc in
pentane as eluant), which gave the title compound (1.32 g, 4.11
mmol, 69%) as a colorless solid: 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ
(ppm) 7.71 (d, J ) 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.12-7.32 (m, 7H), 7.04-7.08
(m, 2H), 5.67 (s, 2H), 4.42 (t, J ) 8.0 Hz, 2H), 4.08 (t, J ) 8.0
Hz, 2H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 162.2, 153.2, 139.5,
137.9, 128.6 (3C), 127.2, 126.2 (2C), 126.0, 125.7, 123.0, 120.9,
112.9, 110.7, 62.1, 48.0, 43.8. HRMS C19H16N2O3 [M + Na+]:
calcd 343.1059, found 343.1049.
mixture was stirred at 0 °C for 2 h, then at 20 °C for 2 h, before
it was poured into water (50 mL) and extracted with CHCl3 (4 ×
25 mL). The combined organic portions were dried (MgSO4),
filtered, and evaporated to dryness. The pure product was obtained
by column chromatography (applied in 2 mL of DMF, increasing
polarity from 20 to 100% EtOAc in pentane as eluant), which gave
the title compound (354 mg, 0.830 mmol, 65%) as a colorless
solid: 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 7.14-7.48 (m, 11H),
7.02-7.08 (m, 3H), 5.63 (s, 2H), 5.09 (s, 2H), 4.43 (t, J ) 7.6 Hz,
2H), 4.08 (t, J ) 7.6 Hz, 2H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3) δ
(ppm) 162.0, 154.0, 153.2, 137.9, 137.5, 128.8, 128.6 (3C), 128.5
(3C), 127.9, 127.5 (2C), 127.2, 126.1 (2C), 118.1, 112.4, 111.7,
104.4, 70.6, 62.1, 48.2, 43.9. HRMS C26H22N2O4 [M + Na+]: calcd
449.1477, found 449.1471.
3-(5-Benzyl-5H-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-f]indole-6-carbonyl)oxazoli-
din-2-one (13). The indole acid 4 (1.72 g, 5.82 mmol) was dissolved
in CH2Cl2 (30 mL), and DMF (four drops) and oxalyl chloride (1.27
mL, 14.50 mmol) were added. The mixture was stirred at 20 °C
for 1 h, by which time gas evolution had ceased, then all volatiles
were removed in vacuo, giving the crude acid chloride, which was
used immediately without further purification. In a separate flask,
2-oxazolidinone (1.013 g, 11.636 mmol) was dissolved in THF (30
mL), then the solution was cooled to 0 °C before i-PrMgCl (2 M
in THF, 5.82 mL, 11.69 mmol) was added. This mixture was stirred
at 0 °C for 30 min, then a solution of the acid chloride (5.82 mmol)
in THF (15 mL) was added dropwise over 5 min. The mixture was
stirred at 0 °C for 2 h, then at 20 °C for 2 h, before it was poured
into water (100 mL) and extracted with EtOAc (3 × 30 mL). The
combined organic portions were dried (MgSO4), filtered, and
evaporated to dryness. The pure product was obtained by column
chromatography (increasing polarity from 10 to 60% EtOAc in
pentane, then 30 to 50% EtOAc in CH2Cl2 as eluant), which gave
the title compound (1.35 g, 3.70 mmol, 64%) as a colorless solid:
1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 7.15-7.30 (m, 4H), 7.05 (d,
J ) 7.6 Hz, 2H), 6.99 (s, 1H), 6.65 (s, 1H), 5.93 (s, 2H), 5.60 (s,
2H), 4.44 (t, J ) 7.6 Hz, 2H), 4.09 (t, J ) 7.6 Hz, 2H); 13C NMR
(100 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 161.4, 153.6, 148.5, 144.4, 137.7,
136.4, 128.6 (3C), 127.2, 126.1 (2C), 120.2, 114.2, 101.1, 100.1,
90.9, 62.2, 48.4, 44.0. HRMS C20H16N2O5 [M + Na+]: calcd
387.0957, found 387.0950.
Perfluorophenyl 1-Benzyl-1H-indole-3-carboxylate (15). The
indole-3-carboxylic acid 14 (500 mg, 1.99 mmol) was dissolved
in CH2Cl2 (16 mL) then pentafluorophenol (521 mg, 2.83 mmol),
EDC‚HCl (664 mg, 3.46 mmol), and DMAP (12 mg, 0.098 mmol)
were added. The mixture was stirred at 20 °C for 18 h, then poured
into water (50 mL) and extracted with CH2Cl2 (3 × 20 mL). The
combined organic portions were dried (MgSO4), filtered, and
evaporated in vacuo. The pure product was obtained by column
chromatography (increasing polarity from 2 to 10% EtOAc in
pentane as eluant), which gave the title compound (682 mg, 1.63
mmol, 82%) as a colorless solid: 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ
(ppm) 8.20 (d, J ) 7.6 Hz, 1H), 8.07 (s, 1H), 7.20-7.41 (m, 8H),
5.40 (s, 2H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 160.1, 143.2
(br), 140.7 (br, 2C), 139.4 (br, 2C), 138.2 (br), 137.2, 136.7, 135.4,
129.4 (2C), 128.7, 127.4 (2C), 127.1, 124.0, 123.2, 121.9, 111.0,
104.3, 51.4. HRMS C22H12F5NO2 [M + Na+]: calcd 440.0686,
found 440.0680.
3-(1-Benzyl-1H-indole-3-carbonyl)oxazolidin-2-one (16). n-
BuLi (5.2 mL, 8.32 mmol, 1.60 M in THF) was dissolved in THF
(33 mL), then the solution was cooled to -78 °C. To this was added
dropwise a solution of 2-oxazolidinone (1.014 g, 11.65 mmol) in
THF (33 mL) over 20 min, after which the solution was stirred for
a further 60 min. A solution of PFP ester 15 (1.67 g, 4.16 mmol)
in THF (33 mL) was added dropwise over 5 min. The mixture was
stirred at -78 °C for 30 min, then at 20 °C for 2 h, by which time
TLC indicated complete consumption of 15. The mixture was
poured into water (50 mL) and saturated NaCl (50 mL) and
extracted with EtOAc (3 × 50 mL), then the combined organic
portions were dried (MgSO4), filtered, and evaporated in vacuo.
3-(1-Allyl-1H-indole-2-carbonyl)oxazolidin-2-one (11). Method
A: n-BuLi (1.2 mL, 1.92 mmol, 1.60 M in THF) was dissolved in
THF (3 mL), and then the solution was cooled to -78 °C. To this
was added dropwise a solution of 2-oxazolidinone (170 mg, 1.95
mmol) in THF (3 mL) over 10 min, then the solution was stirred
for a further 30 min. A solution of PFP ester 39 (900 mg, 2.45
mmol) in THF (3 mL) was then added dropwise over 5 min, and
the mixture was stirred at -78 °C for 2 h before it was poured into
water (50 mL) and extracted with EtOAc (3 × 50 mL). The
combined organic portions were dried (MgSO4), filtered, and
evaporated in vacuo. The pure product was obtained by column
chromatography (30% EtOAc in pentane as eluant), which gave
the title compound (410 mg, 1.52 mmol, 79%) as a colorless solid.
Method B: The indole acid 2 (3.66 g, 11.42 mmol) was dissolved
in CH2Cl2 (50 mL), then DMF (five drops) and oxalyl chloride
(2.50 mL, 28.5 mmol) were added. The mixture was stirred at 20
°C for 1 h, by which time gas evolution had ceased, then all volatiles
were removed in vacuo, giving the crude acid chloride, which was
used immediately without further purification. In a separate flask,
2-oxazolidinone (1.49 g, 17.12 mmol) was dissolved in THF (30
mL), then the solution was cooled to 0 °C before n-BuLi (1.60 M
in hexanes, 10.7 mL, 17.12 mmol) was added. This mixture was
stirred at 0 °C for 1 h, after which a solution of the acid chloride
(11.4 mmol) in THF (12 mL) was added dropwise over 5 min.
The mixture was stirred at 0 °C for 1 h, then poured into water (50
mL) and extracted with EtOAc (3 × 30 mL). The combined organic
portions were dried (MgSO4), filtered, and evaporated to dryness.
The pure product was obtained by column chromatography
(increasing polarity from 20 to 60% EtOAc in pentane as eluant),
which gave the title compound (1.94 g, 7.18 mmol, 63%) as a
colorless solid: 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 7.68 (d, J )
8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.30-7.38 (m, 2H), 7.23 (s, 1H), 7.15 (ddd, J ) 8.4,
6.4, 2.0 Hz, 1H), 6.01 (ddt, J ) 17.2, 10.0, 5.2 Hz, 1H), 5.13 (dd,
J ) 10.0, 1.2 Hz, 1H), 5.02-5.06 (m, 2H), 4.98 (dd, J ) 17.2, 1.2
Hz, 1H), 4.49 (t, J ) 8.0 Hz, 2H), 4.17 (t, J ) 8.0 Hz, 2H); 13C
NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 161.9, 153.1, 138.9, 133.5, 128.2,
125.6, 125.3, 122.7, 120.6, 116.2, 112.3, 110.4, 62.0, 46.7, 43.7.
HRMS C15H14N2O3 [M + Na+]: calcd 293.0902, found 293.0905.
3-(1-Benzyl-5-(benzyloxy)-1H-indole-2-carbonyl)oxazolidin-
2-one (12). The indole acid 3 (456 mg, 1.28 mmol) was dissolved
in CH2Cl2 (20 mL), and DMF (3 drops) and oxalyl chloride (0.35
mL, 4.00 mmol) were added. The mixture was stirred at 20 °C for
1 h, by which time gas evolution had ceased. All volatiles were
removed in vacuo, giving the crude acid chloride, which was used
immediately without further purification. In a separate flask,
2-oxazolidinone (278 mg, 3.19 mmol) was dissolved in THF (10
mL), then the solution was cooled to 0 °C before i-PrMgCl (2 M
in THF, 1.55 mL, 3.10 mmol) was added. This mixture was stirred
at 0 °C for 30 min, after which a solution of the acid chloride (1.28
mmol) in THF (10 mL) was added dropwise over 5 min. The
4186 J. Org. Chem., Vol. 72, No. 11, 2007

SmI2-Promoted Radical Addition Reactions
The pure product was obtained by column chromatography
(increasing polarity from 10 to 60% EtOAc in pentane as eluant),
which gave 1.01 g of product approximately 95% pure, followed
by recrystallization from CH2Cl2/pentane which gave 856 mg (2.68
mmol, 64%) as a colorless solid: 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ
(ppm) 8.25 (d, J ) 8.0 Hz, 1H), 8.16 (s, 1H), 7.17-7.32 (m, 8H),
5.36 (s, 2H), 4.48 (t, J ) 8.0 Hz, 2H), 4.22 (t, J ) 7.2 Hz, 2H);
13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 163.7, 154.4, 137.6, 136.4,
136.0, 129.2 (2C), 128.6, 128.4, 127.3 (2C), 123.5, 122.8, 122.3,
110.6, 107.4, 62.5, 51.2, 44.4. HRMS C19H16N2O3 [M + Na+]:
calcd 343.1059, found 343.1048.
S-Pyridin-4-yl 1-Benzyl-1H-pyrrole-2-carbothioate (19). N-
Benzyl pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid 18 (150 mg, 0.745 mmol) was
dissolved in CH2Cl2 (9 mL), after which the solution was cooled
to 0 °C before 4-mercaptopyridine (88 mg, 0.792 mmol) and EDC‚
HCl (172 mg, 0.897 mmol) were added. The mixture was stirred
at 0 °C for 10 min, then at 20 °C for 4 h, before it was diluted with
CH2Cl2 (30 mL), washed with 5% NaHCO3 (30 mL) and water
(30 mL), dried over MgSO4, filtered, and evaporated in vacuo. The
pure product was obtained by column chromatography (30% EtOAc
in pentane as eluant), which gave the title compound (116 mg, 0.394
mmol, 53%) as a colorless solid: 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ
(ppm) 8.61 (d, J ) 6.4 Hz, 2H), 7.42 (d, J ) 6.4 Hz, 2H), 7.23-
7.34 (m, 4H), 7.08 (d, J ) 8.0 Hz, 2H), 6.99 (dd, J ) 2.4, 1.6 Hz,
1H), 6.26 (dd, J ) 4.0, 2.8 Hz, 1H), 5.48 (s, 2H); 13C NMR (100
MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 176.6, 149.7 (2C), 139.0, 137.1, 131.1, 128.6
(2C), 128.2 (3C), 127.6, 126.9 (2C), 119.9, 109.6, 52.3.
water (30 mL), dried over MgSO4, filtered, and evaporated in vacuo
to give the crude title compound (2.08 g, 4.98 mmol, 83%), which
was used without further purification or analysis. HRMS C22H12F5-
NO2 [M + Na+]: calcd 440.0686, found 440.0662.
Perfluorophenyl 1-Allyl-1H-indole-2-carboxylate (39). The
indole acid 2 (1.20 g, 5.96 mmol) was dissolved in CH2Cl2 (22
mL), after which the solution was cooled to 0 °C before pentafluo-
rophenol (1.15 g, 6.25 mmol), EDC‚HCl (1.37 g, 7.15 mmol), and
DMAP (145 mg, 1.19 mmol) were added. The mixture was stirred
at 0 °C for 10 min, then at 20 °C for 3 h, before it was diluted with
CH2Cl2 (50 mL), washed with saturated NaHCO3 (3 × 30 mL)
and then water (30 mL), dried over MgSO4, filtered, and evaporated
in vacuo to give the crude title compound (1.98 g, 5.39 mmol, 90%),
which was used without further purification or analysis.
General Procedure for Dimerization. The starting indole
oxazolidinone (0.45 mmol) was dissolved in THF (7.5 mL), and
any additives were added before the solution was cooled to -78
°C under an atmosphere of argon. To this was added dropwise a
solution of SmI2 (0.1 M solution in THF, 15 mL, 1.50 mmol) over
5-10 min. The mixture was stirred at -78 °C for 18 h, then the
flask was flushed with O2 to quench excess SmI2. The mixture was
poured into saturated aqueous Na2S2O3 and extracted with EtOAc
(3 × 20 mL), then the combined organic portions were dried
(MgSO4), filtered, and evaporated in vacuo. The pure products were
obtained from the crude orange oil by column chromatography using
the stated solvent system.
3-(1-Benzyl-3-(1-benzyl-1H-indole-2-carbonyl)-1H-indole-2-
carbonyl)oxazolidin-2-one (22) and 1,2-Bis(1-benzyl-1H-indol-
2-yl)ethane-1,2-dione (23). The indole oxazolidinone 10 (144 mg,
0.450 mmol) was reacted according to the general procedure for
dimerization except that water (54 µL, 3.00 mmol) was added.
Increasing polarity from 5 to 50% EtOAc in pentane was used as
the eluant for column chromatography, which gave the asymmetrical
dimer 22 (89 mg, 0.161 mmol, 71%) as an oil and the symmetrical
dimer 23 (24 mg, 0.051 mmol, 23%) as a yellow solid. For
compound 22: 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 8.00 (d, J )
8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.69 (d, J ) 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.12-7.38 (m, 17H), 5.74
(br s, 2H), 5.48 (br s, 2H), 3.50-4.00 (br m, 4H); 13C NMR (100
MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 182.4, 161.9, 151.5, 139.2, 138.1, 137.0,
136.8, 135.8, 135.4, 128.6 (2C), 128.4 (2C), 127.8, 127.0, 126.9
(2C), 126.6 (2C), 126.3, 125.5, 125.4, 124.6, 122.8, 122.7, 122.6,
120.8, 119.3, 112.9, 110.9, 110.7, 62.0, 48.4, 47.9, 42.5. HRMS
C35H27N3O4 [M + Na+]: calcd 576.1899, found 576.1907. For
compound 23: 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 7.61 (d, J )
8.4 Hz, 2H), 7.36-7.45 (m, 4H), 7.25-7.34 (m, 6H), 7.10-7.18
(m, 6H), 7.03 (s, 2H), 5.96 (s, 4H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3)
δ (ppm) 185.5 (2C), 141.0 (2C), 137.9 (2C), 130.8 (2C), 128.7
(4C), 127.6 (2C), 127.4 (2C), 126.6 (4C), 126.4 (2C), 123.7 (2C),
121.4 (2C), 118.1 (2C), 110.9 (2C), 48.3 (2C). HRMS C32H24N2O2
[M + Na+]: calcd 491.1735, found 491.1750.
3-(1-Benzyl-3-(1-benzyl-5-(benzyloxy)-1H-indole-2-carbonyl)-
5-(benzyloxy)-1H-indole-2-carbonyl)oxazolidin-2-one (24) and
1,2-Bis(1-benzyl-5-(benzyloxy)-1H-indol-2-yl)ethane-1,2-dione (25).
The indole oxazolidinone 12 (191 mg, 0.450 mmol) was reacted
according to the general procedure for dimerization, except that
water (54 µL, 3.00 mmol) was added. Increasing polarity from 10
to 75% EtOAc in pentane was used as the eluant for column
chromatography, which gave the asymmetrical dimer 24 (85 mg,
0.111 mmol, 49%) as an oil and the symmetrical dimer 25 (27 mg,
0.040 mmol, 18%) as a yellow solid. For compound 24: 1H NMR
(400 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 7.68 (d, J ) 2.0 Hz, 1H), 7.47 (d, J )
7.2 Hz, 2H), 7.03-7.42 (m, 24H), 5.50-5.80 (br s, 2H), 5.44 (s,
2H), 5.10 (s, 2H), 5.01 (s, 2H), 3.15-3.85 (br m, 4H); 13C NMR
(100 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 182.3, 161.7, 155.6, 153.8, 151.4,
138.1, 137.7, 137.1, 137.0, 135.9, 135.4, 134.5, 132.4, 128.7 (2C),
128.5 (4C), 128.4 (2C), 127.8 (2C), 127.8, 127.5 (2C), 127.5 (2C),
127.1, 126.8 (2C), 126.6 (2C), 126.6, 126.5,119.0, 117.3, 116.5,
111.9, 111.6, 111.1, 104.7, 104.3, 70.5, 70.5, 61.9, 48.6, 48.1, 42.5.
HRMS C49H39N3O6 [M + Na+]: calcd 788.2737, found 788.2737.
3-(1-Benzyl-1H-pyrrole-5-carbonyl)oxazolidin-2-one (20). A
solution of n-BuLi (2.2 mL, 3.52 mmol, 1.6 M in THF) in THF (4
mL) was cooled to -78 °C, then 2-oxazolidinone (307 mg, 3.53
mmol) in THF (7 mL) was added dropwise over 10 min. The
mixture was stirred at -78 °C for 30 min, then the PFP ester 37
(1.43 g, 3.89 mmol) dissolved in THF (5 mL) was added via syringe
and the mixture stirred for a further 3 h. The mixture was poured
into saturated NH4Cl (40 mL) and extracted with EtOAc (3 × 25
mL), then the combined organic portions were dried (MgSO4),
filtered, and evaporated in vacuo. The pure product was obtained
by column chromatography (40% CH2Cl2 in pentane as eluant),
which gave the title compound (800 mg, 2.96 mmol, 84%) as a
colorless solid: 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 7.22-7.34
(m, 3H), 7.11 (d, J ) 7.2 Hz, 2H), 7.01-7.03 (m, 1H), 6.91-6.94
(m, 1H), 6.23 (dd, J ) 4.8, 3.2 Hz, 1H), 5.48 (s, 2H), 4.41 (t, J )
7.6 Hz, 2H), 4.04 (t, J ) 7.6 Hz, 2H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3)
δ (ppm) 160.5, 153.6, 137.9, 130.4, 128.6 (2C), 127.5, 126.8 (2C),
123.2, 121.6, 108.7, 62.1, 52.1, 43.9. HRMS C15H14N2O3 [M +
Na+]: calcd 293.0902, found 293.0906.
Perfluorophenyl 1-Benzyl-1H-pyrrole-2-carboxylate (37). N-
Benzyl pyrrole-2-carboxylic acid 18 (150 mg, 0.746 mmol) was
dissolved in CH2Cl2 (9 mL), after which pentafluorophenol (143
mg, 0.777 mmol) and EDC‚HCl (172 mg, 0.897 mmol) were added.
The mixture was stirred at 20 °C for 18 h, then poured into 5%
NaHCO3 (40 mL) and extracted with CH2Cl2 (3 × 20 mL). The
combined organic portions were dried (MgSO4), filtered, and
evaporated in vacuo. The pure product was obtained by column
chromatography (5% EtOAc in pentane as eluant), which gave the
title compound (233 mg, 0.624 mmol, 85%) as a colorless solid:
1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 7.27-7.38 (m, 4H), 7.17 (d,
J ) 1.6 Hz, 1H), 7.15 (d, J ) 0.8 Hz, 1H), 7.08 (t, J ) 1.6 Hz,
1H), 6.33 (dd, J ) 4.4, 2.8 Hz, 1H), 5.55 (s, 2H); 13C NMR (100
MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 156.2, 142.8 (br), 140.3 (br, 2C), 139.0 (br,
2C), 137.1, 136.6 (br), 131.6, 128.7 (2C), 127.8, 127.0 (2C), 121.1,
118.7, 109.6, 52.3.
Perfluorophenyl 1-Benzyl-1H-indole-2-carboxylate (38). The
indole acid 1 (1.50 g, 5.97 mmol) was dissolved in CH2Cl2 (22
mL), and the solution was cooled to 0 °C before pentafluorophenol
(1.15 g, 6.25 mmol), EDC‚HCl (1.37 g, 7.15 mmol), and DMAP
(145 mg, 1.19 mmol) were added. The mixture was stirred at 0 °C
for 10 min, then at 20 °C for 3 h, before it was diluted with CH2-
Cl2 (40 mL), washed with saturated NaHCO3 (3 × 30 mL) and
J. Org. Chem, Vol. 72, No. 11, 2007 4187

Lindsay et al.
For compound 25: 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 7.00-
7.48 (m, 26H), 6.92 (s, 2H) 5.91 (s, 4H), 5.08 (s, 4H); 13C NMR
(100 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 185.4 (2C), 154.1 (2C), 138.0 (2C),
137.0 (2C), 136.8 (2C), 131.1 (2C), 128.7 (4C), 128.6 (4C), 128.4
(2C), 127.9 (2C), 127.4 (4C), 127.3 (2C), 126.5 (4C), 120.3 (2C),
117.3 (2C), 111.9 (2C), 104.4 (2C), 70.6 (2C), 48.4 (2C). HRMS
C46H36N2O4 [M + Na+]: calcd 703.2573, found 703.2578.
3-(5-Benzyl-7-(5-benzyl-5H-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-f]indole-6-carbo-
nyl)-5H-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-f]indole-6-carbonyl)oxazolidin-2-one (26)
and 1,2-Bis(5-benzyl-5H-[1,3]dioxolo[4,5-f]indol-6-yl)ethane-1,2-
dione (27). The indole oxazolidinone 13 (164 mg, 0.450 mmol)
was reacted according to the general procedure for dimerization.
Increasing polarity from 10 to 75% EtOAc in pentane was used as
the eluant for column chromatography, which gave the asymmetrical
dimer 26 (79 mg, 0.123 mmol, 55%) as an amber gum and the
symmetrical dimer 27 (14 mg, 0.025 mmol, 11%) as a yellow solid.
For compound 26: 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 7.34 (s,
1H), 7.10-7.32 (m, 10H), 7.06 (s, 1H), 6.98 (s, 1H), 6.71 (s, 2H),
5.94 (s, 4H), 5.50-5.75 (br m, 2H), 5.41 (br s, 2H), 3.50-4.05 (br
m, 4H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 181.2, 161.8, 151.8,
148.2, 147.2, 145.2, 144.2, 138.0, 136.5, 135.9, 135.8, 133.0, 132.5,
128.8 (2C), 128.5 (2C), 127.8, 127.1, 126.7 (2C), 126.6 (2C), 120.8,
120.4, 120.3, 113.9, 101.2, 101.1, 100.7, 100.1, 91.0, 90.9, 62.0,
48.6, 48.3, 42.9. HRMS C37H27N3O8 [M + Na+]: calcd 664.1696,
found 664.1694. For compound 27: 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3)
δ (ppm) 7.24-7.34 (m, 6H), 7.11 (d, J ) 7.2 Hz, 4H), 6.93 (s,
2H), 6.87 (s, 2H), 6.75 (s, 2H), 5.97 (s, 4H), 5.87 (s, 4H); 13C
NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 184.3 (2C), 149.9 (2C), 144.8
(2C), 138.1 (2C), 137.8 (2C), 130.2 (2C), 128.7 (4C), 127.3 (2C),
126.5 (4C), 120.9 (2C), 118.2 (2C), 101.4 (2C), 100.1 (2C), 90.5
(2C), 48.5 (2C). HRMS C34H24N2O6 [M + Na+]: calcd 579.1532,
found 579.1541.
(increasing polarity from 5 to 40% Et2O in 1:1 CH2Cl2/pentane as
eluant), which gave the title compound (66 mg, 0.182 mmol, 55%)
as a colorless solid and recovered 16 (20 mg, 0.062 mmol, 19%):
1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 8.38 (d, J ) 7.8 Hz, 1H),
7.85 (s, 1H), 7.14-7.33 (m, 8H), 5.79 (br s, 1H), 5.32 (s, 2H),
3.20 (t, J ) 6.8 Hz, 2H), 2.56 (t, J ) 6.8 Hz, 2H), 1.32 (s, 9H);
13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 194.6, 172.2, 137.3, 135.9,
135.2, 129.3 (2C), 128.5, 127.3 (2C), 126.7, 123.7, 122.9, 122.8,
116.9, 110.4, 51.3, 51.0, 35.4, 32.0, 29.0 (3C). HRMS C23H26N2O2
[M + Na+]: calcd 385.1892, found 385.1898.
n-Butyl 4-(1-Benzyl-1H-pyrrol-2-yl)-4-oxobutanoate (36). The
pyrrole oxazolidinone 20 (50 mg, 0.185 mmol) was dissolved in
THF (3.5 mL), then water (20 µL, 1.110 mmol) and n-butylacrylate
(80 µL, 0.55 mmol) were added before the solution was cooled to
-78 °C under an atmosphere of argon. To this was added dropwise
a solution of SmI2 (0.1 M solution in THF, 10 mL, 1.00 mmol)
over 15-20 min. The mixture was stirred at -78 °C for 18 h, then
the flask was flushed with O2 to quench excess SmI2. The mixture
was poured into saturated aqueous Na2S2O3 (30 mL) and extracted
with EtOAc (3 × 20 mL), then the combined organic portions were
dried (MgSO4), filtered, and evaporated in vacuo. The pure product
was obtained by column chromatography (10% EtOAc in pentane
as eluant), which gave the title compound (30 mg, 0.096 mmol,
52%) as a colorless oil: 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm)
7.20-7.31 (m, 3H), 7.05-7.10 (m, 3H), 6.89 (dd, J ) 2.4, 1.6 Hz,
1H), 6.19 (dd, J ) 4.0, 1.6 Hz, 1H), 5.58 (s, 2H), 4.06 (t, J ) 6.8
Hz, 2H), 3.13 (t, J ) 6.8 Hz, 2H), 2.66 (t, J ) 6.8 Hz, 2H), 1.58
(pent, J ) 7.2 Hz, 2H), 1.36 (sext, J ) 7.6 Hz, 2H), 0.91 (t, J )
7.2 Hz, 3H); 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3) δ (ppm) 188.8, 173.3,
138.4, 130.6 (2C), 130.0, 128.8 (2C), 127.6, 127.3, 119.9, 108.9,
64.7, 52.7, 33.9, 30.8, 28.8, 19.3, 13.9. HRMS C19H23NO3 [M +
Na+]: calcd 336.1576, found 336.1569.
4-(1-Benzyl-1H-indol-3-yl)-N-tert-butyl-4-oxobutanamide (35).
The indole oxazolidinone 16 (107 mg, 0.333 mmol) and tert-
butylacrylamide (60 mg, 0.500 mmol) were dissolved in THF (4
mL), then water (48 µL, 2.66 mmol) was added before the solution
was cooled to -78 °C under an atmosphere of argon. To this was
added dropwise a solution of SmI2 (0.1 M solution in THF, 10
mL, 1.00 mmol) over 15-20 min. The mixture was stirred at -78
°C for 18 h, then the flask was flushed with O2 to quench excess
SmI2. The mixture was poured into saturated aqueous Na2S2O3 (30
mL) and extracted with EtOAc (3 × 20 mL), then the combined
organic portions were dried (MgSO4), filtered, and evaporated in
vacuo. The pure product was obtained by column chromatography
Acknowledgment. We are deeply appreciative of generous
financial support from the Danish National Research Foundation,
the Lundbeck Foundation, the Carlsberg Foundation, and the
University of Aarhus.
Supporting Information Available: Experimental details and
1
copies of H NMR and 13C NMR spectra for compounds 9-13,
15, 16, 19, 20, 22-27, and 35-37. CIF files for compounds 23
and 26-28. This material is available free of charge via the Internet
at http://pubs.acs.org.
JO070273D
4188 J. Org. Chem., Vol. 72, No. 11, 2007