A Green Aerobic Oxidative Synthesis of Pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines from Simple Alcohols without Metals and Additives

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/acs.joc.6b02501

A practical and concise protocol for the efficient preparation of pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines through a cascade of alcohol oxidation/imine formation/intramolecular cyclization/oxidative dehydrogenation has been established. A series of substituted pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline derivatives were constructed readily in yields of 53-93% from the cheap primary alcohols by using dioxygen as the terminal oxidant. Remarkably, the fact that no extra metals and additives were necessary makes this unprecedented aerobic oxidation process highly step- and atom-economical. The usefulness of this transformation was further demonstrated with the gram-scale synthesis of compound 3aa under standard conditions.

Full text of DOI:10.1021/acs.joc.6b02501

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Note
A Green Aerobic Oxidative Synthesis of Pyrrolo[1,2-
a]quinoxalines from Simple Alcohols without Metals and Additives
Jixing Li, Jinlong Zhang, Huameng Yang, Zeng Gao, and Gaoxi Jiang
J. Org. Chem., Just Accepted Manuscript • DOI: 10.1021/acs.joc.6b02501 • Publication Date (Web): 29 Nov 2016
Downloaded from http://pubs.acs.org on December 2, 2016
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A Green Aerobic Oxidative Synthesis of Pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines
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from Simple Alcohols without Metals and Additives
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Jixing Li,†,§ Jinlong Zhang,† Huameng Yang,† Zeng Gao,†,§ and Gaoxi Jiang*, †
†State Key Laboratory for Oxo Synthesis and Selective Oxidation, Suzhou Research Institute of LICP,
Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics (LICP), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, P. R.
China
§University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, P. R. China
gxjiang@licp.cas.cn
Abstract:
A
practical and concise protocol for the efficient preparation of
pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines through a cascade of alcohol oxidation/imine formation/intramolecular
cyclization/oxidative dehydrogenation has been established.
A
series of substituted
pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline derivatives were constructed readily in yields of 53-93% from the cheap
primary alcohols by using dioxygen as the terminal oxidant. Remarkably, the fact no extra metals
and additives were necessary makes this unprecedented aerobic oxidation process highly step- and
atom-economical. The usefulness of this transformation was further demonstrated with the
gram-scale synthesis of compound 3aa under standard conditions.
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As an important family of heterocyclic compounds, the pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline skeleton is
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ubiquitous in a wide range of natural products and synthetic molecules.1 In most cases, the
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functionalized pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines possess
a
wide range of bioactivities and
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pharmaceutical effects, especially as antimalarial,2 antileishmania3 and antitumor,4 as well as
behave as adenosine A3 receptor modulators5 and human protein kinase CK2 inhibitors.6 Hence,
developing diverse methodologies available for the efficient synthesis of these compounds
continues to attract considerable attention from synthetic chemists.7 In 1965, Cheesman and Tuck
groups reported the first synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline nucleus from
2-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)aniline and with formic acid under reflux conditions (Scheme 1, 1).8 Afterward,
many protocols for the pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline synthesis involving the cyclization of substituted
N-phenyl pyrroles have been developed by other groups.9 Commonly, a nitro or amino group at
the 2-position in phenyl rings and carbonyl groups in pyrroles are of great necessity for the
successful cyclization and aromatization, which undoubtedly lead to more synthetic steps and
limited functional tolerance (Scheme 1, 2). Over the past decades one pot multicomponent
reactions10 and cascade transformations11 have emerged as the most promising alternatives access
to the synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline compounds. Among these methodologies, redox
process can obtain the synthetic purposes from commercially available primary alcohols and
amines in a step- and atom-economic fashion. In 2012, Pereira group realized the aerobic
oxidative synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines from primary alcohols under redox reaction
conditions with iron (9 equiv) and 12 M hydrochloric acid (11 equiv).12 In 2015, an iodine (2.5
equiv) promoted oxidative pathway utilizing primary aromatic amines as the substrates was
reported by Jayaprakash and co-workers (Scheme 1, 3).13 However, these synthetic routes usually
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suffered from either the excess use of toxic oxidants or over-stoichiometric amount of catalyst and
additives. Recently, an oxidative route to installation of the pyrrolo[1,2-a] quinoxalines from both
aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes under mild reaction conditions was presented by Zhai group,
featuring metal-free and dioxygen oxidation.15 Although the advances made in this field, further
exploration of more efficient and environmental-benign strategies that allow the preparation of
this fused heterocyclic motif is in high demand. The transition metals catalyzed aerobic oxidation
of alcohols to aldehydes with dioxygen or other oxidants employed into to a number of chemical
transformations is well-documented.14 Nevertheless, the direct oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes
using molecular oxygen as the only oxidant in the absence of metals and additives remains elusive
to date. Herein, we report a green aerobic oxidative method access to various substituted
pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines in moderate to excellent yields from simple primary alcohols without
additions of any metals and acidic additives (Scheme 1, 4).
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Scheme 1. Synthesis of pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline derivatives
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Initially, the reaction of 2-(1H-pyrrol-1-yl)aniline 1a in ethanol 2a solvent with a
concentration of 0.1 M for 12 h under O2 atmosphere was chosen as the model reaction to
optimize the reaction conditions (Table 1). The screening of metal catalysts revealed that a
satisfied result of up to 99% conversation was obtain using Pd(OAc)2 as the catalyst (entries 1-5).
The addition of ligand 2,4,6-
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Table 1. Optimization of the reaction conditionsa
Entry
Cat (5 mol%)
Additive (10 mol%)
T (oC)
150
150
150
150
150
150
150
150
140
130
160
160
160
160
160
160
Conversion (%)b
1
FeCl3
-
75
2
FeCl2
-
30
3
CuBr2
-
20
4
CuBr
-
25
5
Pd(Oac)2
-
>99
>99
85
6c
Pd(Oac)2
TFA
7
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
TFA
8
-
(78)d
(76)d
(34)d
(93)d
21
9
-
10
-
11
-
12e (0.05 M)
13f (0.2 M)
14
-
-
63
1,10-Phenanthroline
91
15g (air)
-
-
(70)d
No reaction
16h (N )
2
a Reaction conditions: substrate 1a (0.3 mmol, 0.1 M), cat. (5 mol%), and additive (10 mol%) in ethanol (3 mL)
was stirred for appropriated time under dioxygen atmosphere. b The conversion was determined by GC-MS. c The
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reaction was conducted with 2,4,6-collidine as ligand of palladium catalyst. d Isolated yield was in parenthesis. e
The reaction was performed with a concentration of 0.05 M. f The reaction was performed with a concentration
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7
g
of 0.2 M. The reaction was performed under air atmosphere. The reaction was performed under N2
h
atmosphere
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collidine and CF3CO2H to the reaction system had no obvious influences on the reaction outcomes
(entry 6). Under the metal-free conditions, an 85% conversion was achieved employing CF3CO2H
as the only reaction promotor to facilitate the reaction process (entry 7). Incredibly, further
optimization of the reaction conditions demonstrated that the desired product can be isolated in a
yield of 78% in the absence of any metals and additives (entry 8). The yields declined to 76% and
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o
o
34% if the reaction was conducted at lower temperature of 140 C and 130 C, respectively
(entries 9-10). To our delight, the satisfied yield of 93% was obtained at 160 oC (entry 11). Further
decrease of the reaction concentration to 0.05 M or increase to 0.2 M were detrimental to the
reaction results (entries 12-13). To exclude the possibility that trace metals might be involved into
the reaction process, a chelating agent of 1,10-phenanthroline was added to the reaction mixture and
the same high yield of 91% was detected (entry 14). GC-MS investigation confirmed that the
aldehyde heptanal was formed by treating heptan-1-ol to the conditions. Additionally, under air
atmosphere, a 70% isolated yield was acquired (entry 15). As expected, under nitrogen atmosphere
no reaction occurred, indicating that the existence of dioxygen was vital for the alcohol oxidation
and final dehydrogenation process (entry 16).
With the optimized reaction conditions in hand (Table1, entry 11), we started to examine the
o
reaction scope of the present transformation utilizing ethanol 2a as the reaction solvent at 160 C
(Scheme 2). In total, the results illustrated that electron-donation substituents in aromatic rings
delivered relatively high yields in contrast to electron-withdrawing groups. Accordingly, the
methyl group in meta- and para-positions of the aryl rings provided the desired products 3ba and
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3ca in 93% and 87% yields, respectively. Whereas, methyl group at the ortho-position in aromatic
ring gave rise to 3da in a lower yield of 65%, likely caused by the steric hindrance effect of the
methyl group. Readily, the 3ea was synthesized in 91% yield after 48 h if the methoxyl substituted
reactant was treated to the reaction conditions. Electron-withdrawing groups, such as halogen
atoms and CF3 group, were also amenable to the current conditions, exclusively affording the
products 3fa-ia in 75-91% yields. In addition, the bis-substituted aromatic amines were also
appropriate substrates to deliver the compounds 3fa-la in 82-86% yields. Besides pyrrolylanilines,
the indolylaniline 1m can be applied into this reaction as well, and the molecule 3ma in 53% yield
was produced after 96 h.
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NH2
N
O2
+
EtOH
N
160 oC, 0.1 M
N
1a-m
2a
3aa-ma
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
3da, 65%
(48 h)
3aa, 93%b
3ba, 87%
3ca, 92%
(16 h)
MeO
N
N
Cl
N
N
N
N
N
N
F
Br
Cl
3ea, 91%
3fa, 78%
3ga, 82%
(40 h)
3ha, 91%
(72 h)
(24 h)
(36 h)
N
N
N
N
N
N
F3C
N
N
3ia, 75%
3ja, 82%
3ka, 92%
3la, 86%
(62 h)
(40 h)
(24 h)
(48 h)
N
N
3ma,53%
(96 h)
Scheme 2. Scope of the aromatic amine substrates.
Next, a range of aliphatic alcohols was utilized to standard reaction conditions (Scheme 3). In
all cases, the reactions proceeded smoothly to provide the alkyl groups substituted
pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxalines 3ab-ag in more than 80% yields in terms of both short- and long-chain
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linear alcohols. In addition, the branched alcohols 3-methylbutan-1-ol 2h and 2-methylpropan-1-ol
2i also worked well in the annulation and converted to 3ha and 3ia in 84% and 53% yields,
respectively. For the long-chain alcohol substrates just a trace amount of self-condensation
products of aldehydes was detected by GC-MS, by virtue of faster speed of the reaction between
nucleophilic 1a with in situ formed aldehydes than self-condensation of a small amount of
aldehydes themselves.
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Scheme 3. Scope of the alcohol reactants
Notably, this novel aerobic oxidative method can be easily scaled up with a slightly decreased
yield. As an example, the desired compound 3aa was conveniently synthesized in 86% yield when
using 1.1 g (7 mmol) 1a as the starting material (Scheme 4).
Scheme 4. Gram-scale synthesis of 3aa
In conclusion, we have developed a novel and concise oxidative strategy for the synthesis of
pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline derivatives from simple primary alcohols under dioxygen atmosphere.
It is worth to note that this unprecedented protocol can serve as a green alternative methodology
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without the use of any metal catalysts and additives, providing the desired products in a step- and
atom-economic fashion. Moreover, the gram-scale synthesis with satisfied yield enforced its
practical application.
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Experimental Section
General Information: All non-aqueous manipulations were using standard Schlenk techniques.
Reactions were monitored using thin-layer chromatography (TLC) on Silica Gel plates.
Visualization of the developed plates was performed under UV light (254 nm) or KMnO4 stain.
Silica Gel Flash Column Chromatography was performed on 40-63μm silica gel. Moreover,
commercially available reagents were used without additional purification. All NMR spectra were
run at 400 MHz (1H NMR) or 100 MHz (13C NMR) or 377 MHz (19F NMR) in CDCl3 solution.
1H NMR spectra were internally referenced to TMS. 13C NMR spectra were internally referenced
to the residual solvent signal. High resolution mass spectra (HRMS) were recorded on TOF-Q II
mass instrument (ESI).
General procedures for the products 3aa-ma and 3ab-ai: anilines 1 (0.3 mmol) was added to a
flame-dried Schlenk tube which charged with a magnetic stir bar in 3.0 mL alcohols. The resulting
suspension was stirred at 160℃ under O2 for appropriate time. After a celite filtration and
evaporation of the solvents in vacuo, the crude products were purified by column chromatography
on silica gel to providing the desired products (petroleum and ethyl acetate = 100:1).
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4-methylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline12 (3aa): A light yellow solid, m.p 132-133 ℃. Yield: 50.8
mg (93%). 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ = 7.99 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.91 (s, 1H), 7.73 (d, J = 8.0
Hz, 1H), 7.35-7.42 (m, 2H), 6.79-6.84 (m, 2H), 2.69 (s, 3H). 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3) δ =
153.6, 135.8, 129.2, 126.9, 126.2, 125.1, 114.2, 113.6, 113.5, 106.5, 22.0.
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4,8-dimethylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline117 (3ba): A light yellow solid, m.p 128-124 ℃. Yield:
1
51.2 mg (87%). H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ= 7.83 (s, 1H), 7.77 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.59 (s,
1H), 7.21 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 6.81-6.84 (m, 2H), 2.70 (s, 3H), 2.51 (s, 3H). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100
MHz) δ = 152.5, 144.7,137.2, 133.7, 128.8, 126.9, 126.3, 126.2, 113.8, 113.6, 113.3, 106.1,
21.8,21.6.
4,7-dimethylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline16 (3ca): A light yellow solid, m.p 134-135 ℃. Yield:
1
54.1 mg (92%). H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ= 7.91 (s, 1H), 7.64 -68 (m, 2H), 7.25 (d, J = 8.0
Hz, 1H), 6.79-6.84 (m, 2H), 2.70 (s, 3H), 2.64 (s, 3H). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100 MHz) δ = 153.4,
135.6, 134.7, 128.9, 127.9, 126.0, 125.0, 113.9, 113.2, 113.1, 106.1, 21.8, 21.0.
4,9-dimethylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline18 (3da): A yellow solid, m.p 89-90 ℃. Yield: 38.2 mg
(65%). 1H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ = 8.26 (s, 1H), 7.78 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.23-318 (m, 2H),
6.89-6.91 (m, 1H), 6.80-6.82 (m, 1H), 2.90 (s, 3H), 2.70 (s, 3H). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100 MHz) δ =
153.1, 137.4, 130.4, 127.6, 127.4, 127.48, 125.2, 124.4, 119.8, 112.7, 105.9, 23.8, 21.8.
8-methoxy-4-methylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline18 (3ea): A yellow solid, m.p 83-84 ℃. Yield:
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57.9 mg (91%). H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ= 7.90 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.74 (s, 1H), 7.17 (s,
1H), 6.98 (dd, J1= 8.0 Hz, J2 = 4.0 Hz,1H), 6.81 (m, 2H), 3.90 (s, 3H), 2.68 (s, 3H). 13C NMR
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(CDCl3, 100 MHz) δ = 158.4, 150.8, 130.1, 130.1, 127.8, 126.1, 113.7, 113.4, 112.4, 105.9, 97.5,
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55.6, 21.6.
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8-chloro-4-methylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline17 (3fa): A light yellow solid, m.p 175-178 ℃.
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Yield: 50.7 mg (78%). H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ = 7.76 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.71 (s, 1H),
7.31 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 6.91-6.95 (m ,2H), 2.68 (s, 3H). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100 MHz) δ = 153.7,
134.3, 132.0, 130.2, 127.7, 126.0, 125.3, 114.3, 113.9, 113.6, 106.9, 21.8.
7-fluoro-4-methylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline17 (3ga): A light yellow solid, m.p 167-168 ℃.
Yield: 49.2 mg (82%). 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ = 7.91 (s, 1H), 7.70-7.73 (m, 1H), 7.54 (d, J
= 8.0 Hz, 1H),7.16 (t, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 6.81-6.87 (m, 2H), 2.69 (s, 3H). 13C NMR (100 MHz,
CDCl3) δ = 160.9, 158.5, 154.8, 146.6 (d, 1JC-F = 40.6 Hz), 137.0, 136.9, 125.9, 114.7, 114.6,
114.4, 114.3, 113.5, 106.9, 21.9. HRMS (ESI) calcd. for C12H10FN2 [M+H]: 201.0828, found:
201.0823. HRMS (ESI) calcd. for C12H10FN2 [M+H]: 201.0828, found: 201.0823.
8-bromo-4-methylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline17 (3ha): A light yellow solid, m.p 159-160℃.
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Yield: 71.3 mg (91%). H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ = 7.95 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.75 (s, 1H),
7.54 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.43-7.46 (m, 1H), 6.79-6.84 (m, 2H), 2.66 (s, 3H). 13C NMR (CDCl3,
100 MHz) δ = 154.6, 136.9, 131.5, 129.4, 126.1, 125.9, 117.4, 114.8, 114.4, 113.8, 107.0, 21.9.
HRMS (ESI) calcd. for C12H10BrN2 [M+H]: 261.0027, found: 261.0022.
4-methyl-7-(trifluoromethyl)pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline (3ia): A light yellow solid, m.p
1
125-127 ℃. Yield: 56.2 mg (75%). H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ = 8.15 (s, 1H), 7.99 (s,
1H),7.65 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 6.88-6.93 (m, 2H), 2.72 (s, 3H). 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3) δ =
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155.2, 135.5, 129.4,127.3,126.8, 126.8, 126.7,126.7, 125.3, 123.3 (q, J = 3.5 Hz), 114.9, 114.4,
114.3, 107.6, 22.0. HRMS (ESI) calcd. for C13H10F3N2 [M+H]: 251.0796, found: 251.0792.
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4,7,9-trimethylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline (3ja): A light yellow solid, m.p 115-116 ℃. Yield:
51.7 mg (82%). 1H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ = 8.12 (s, 1H), 7.53 (s, 1H), 6.99 (s, 1H), 6.81-6.83
(m,1H), 6.72-6.73 (m, 1H), 2.77 (s, 3H), 2.66 (s, 3H), 2.38 (s, 3H). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100 MHz) δ
=152.8, 137.2, 133.8, 131.3, 127.4, 127.2, 125.1, 124.7, 119.3, 112.3, 105.4, 23.4, 21.7, 20.4.
HRMS (ESI) calcd. for C14H15N2 [M+H]: 211.1235, found: 211.1230.
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4,7,8-trimethylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline18 (3ka): A light yellow solid, m.p 152-153 ℃. Yield:
58.0 mg (92%). 1H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ = 7.77 (s, 1H), 7.63 (s, 1H), 7.50 (s, 1H), 6.77-6.81
(m, 2H), 2.68 (s, 3H), 2.38 (s, 3H), 2.34 (s, 3H). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100 MHz) δ = 152.3, 136.0,
133.9, 133.7, 129.2, 126.1, 125.0, 113.9, 113.6, 112.9, 105.8, 21.8, 20.0, 19.4.
8-chloro-4,7-dimethylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline (3la): A light yellow solid, m.p 143-144 ℃.
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Yield: 59.5 mg (86%). H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ= 7.63 (s, 1H), 7.60 (s, 1H), 6.74-6.78 (m,
2H), 2.62 (s, 3H), 2.39 (s, 3H). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100 MHz) δ = 153.5, 145.5, 134.2, 132.6, 132.3,
130.4, 125.7, 125.6, 114.0, 113.6, 113.4, 106. 5, 21.8, 19.7. HRMS (ESI) calcd. for C13H12ClN2
[M+H]: 231.0689, found: 231.0686.
6-methylindolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline17 (3ma): A light yellow solid, m.p 102-103 ℃. Yield: 36.9
mg (53%). 1H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl3) δ= 8.35 (t, J = 8.0 Hz, 2H), 7.91-7.94 (m, 2H), 7.50-7.55
(m, 2H), 7.38-7.43 (m, 2H), 7.09 (s, 1H), 2.77 (s, 3H). 13C NMR (100 MHz, CDCl3) δ = 155.1,
135.7, 130.1, 129.6, 129.4, 128.9, 127.7, 124.1, 123.9, 122.6, 122.5, 114.5, 114.5, 99.9, 22.3.
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pyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline12 (3ab): A light yellow solid, m.p 130-131 ℃. Yield: 42.3 mg (84%).
1H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ = 8.79 (s, 1H), 7.95 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.89 (s, 1H), 7.82 (d, J =
8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.49 (t, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.42 (t, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 6.85-6.89 (m, 2H). 13C NMR
(CDCl3, 100 MHz) δ = 145.7, 145.6, 135.7, 130.0, 127.9, 127.7, 126.3, 125.0, 114.1, 113.9, 113.7,
107.2.
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4-ethylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline12 (3ac): A light yellow solid, m.p 70-72℃. Yield: 51.7 mg
(88%). 1H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ = 7.93 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.88 (s, 1H), 7.80 (d, J = 8.0 Hz,
1H), 7.41-7.47 (m, 1H), 6.84-6.91 (m, 2H), 3.06 (q, 4H), 1.46 (t, 3H). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100 MHz)
δ = 158.3, 135.9, 129.3, 126.8, 125.0, 114. 0, 113.5, 113.3, 106.0, 28.9, 12.6.
4-propylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline12 (3ad): A light yellow solid, m.p 48-49 ℃. Yield: 54.2 mg
(86%). 1H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ = 7.92 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.87 (s, 1H), 7.79 (d, J = 8.0 Hz,
1H), 7.40-7.46 (m, 2H), 6.84-6.91 (m, 2H), 2.99 (t, 2H), 1.91-1.97 (m, 2H), 1.08 (t, 3H). 13C NMR
(CDCl3, 100 MHz) δ = 157.3, 135.9, 129.3, 127.1, 126.7, 125.9, 124.9, 114.0, 113.5, 113.3, 106.2,
37.8, 21.9, 14.2.
4-butylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline19 (3ae): A light yellow solid, m.p 46 ℃. Yield: 57.1 mg
(85%). 1H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ = 7.92 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.87 (s, 1H), 7.79 (d, J = 8.0 Hz,
1H), 7.40-7.46 (m, 2H), 6.84-6.91 (m, 2H), 3.02 (t, 2H), 1.85-1.92 (m, 2H), 1.48-1.53 (m, 2H),
0.99 (t, 3H). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100 MHz) δ = 157.5, 135.9, 129.3, 126.7, 125.0, 114.0, 113.5,
113.3, 106.2, 35.6, 30.7, 22.9, 13.9.
4-pentylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline19 (3af): A light yellow solid, m.p 42 ℃. Yield: 59.9 mg
(84%). 1H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ = 7.93 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.87(s, 1H), 7.79 (d, J = 8.0 Hz,
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1H), 7.40-7.46 (m, 2H), 6.82-6.90 (m ,2H), 3.01 (t, 2H), 1.86-1.94 (m, 2H), 1.37-1.43 (m, 4H),
0.92 (t, 3H). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100 MHz) δ = 157.5, 135.9, 129.4, 127.1, 126.7, 125.9, 124.9,
114.0, 113.5, 113.3, 106.2, 35.9, 31.9, 28.3, 22.5, 14.0.
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4-hexylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline19 (3ag): A light yellow solid, m.p 40 ℃. Yield: 65.1 mg
(86%). 1H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ = 7.93 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.89 (s, 1H), 7.81 (d, J = 8.0 Hz,
1H), 7.40-7.46 (m, 2H), 6.84-6.91 (m, 2H), 3.01 (t, 2H), 1.95-1.99 (m, 2H), 1.30-1.50 (m, 8H),
0.90 (t, 3H). 13C NMR (CDCl3, 100 MHz) δ = 157.6, 135.9, 129.4, 127.2, 126.8, 125.9, 125.0,
114.0, 113.5, 113.4, 106.2, 36.0, 31.7, 29.5, 28.6, 22.6, 14.1.
4-isobutylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline (3ah): A yellow solid, m.p 43-44 ℃. Yield: 55.1 mg (82%).
1H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) δ = 7.92-7.95 (m, 1H), 7.89 (s ,1H), 7.71 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H),
7.39-7.47 (m, 2H), 6.82-6.90 (m, 2H), 2.99 (d, 2H), 2.37-2.45 (m, 1H), 1.03 (d, 6H). 13C NMR
(CDCl3, 100 MHz) δ = 156.8, 135.9, 129.4, 127.1, 126.8, 126.5, 125.0, 114.0, 113.5, 113.3, 106.5,
44.6, 28.4, 22.8. HRMS (ESI) calcd. for C15H17N2 [M+H]: 225.1392, found: 225.1391.
4-isopropylpyrrolo[1,2-a]quinoxaline (3ai): A yellow solid, m.p 57-58 ℃. Yield: 33.4 mg
(53%). 1H NMR (CDCl3, 400 MHz) = 7.96 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.90 (s, 1H), 7.82 (d, J = 8.0 Hz,
1H), 7.40-7.48 (m, 2H), 6.83-6.89 (m, 2H), 3.44-3.51 (m, 1H), 1.47 (d, 6H). 13C NMR (CDCl3,
100 MHz) δ = 161.6, 136.0, 129.6, 126.7, 125.4, 124.9, 113.9, 113.5, 113.2, 105.7, 33.2, 21.0.
HRMS (ESI) calcd. for C14H15N2 [M+H]: 211.1235, found: 211.1231.
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Acknowledgment: Financial support from the Hundred Talent Program of Chinese Academy of
Sciences (CAS) and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu (Grant No. BK20151235) are
gratefully acknowledged.
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Supporting Information: Copy of 1H and 13C NMR spectra of all compounds were presented on
supporting information.
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