PAPER
Solvent-Free Indoles Addition to Carbonyl Compounds
899
to the resulting mixture was added indole (1, 0.234 g, 2 mmol) and
isobutyraldehyde (2a, 0.072 g, 1 mmol). The reaction mixture was
then stirred at r.t. until the disappearance of the starting indole (2 h,
checked by TLC and GC analyses). After addition of Et2O the mix-
ture was passed through a short pad of Celite and the filtrate was
concentrated under reduced pressure. The crude product was puri-
fied by flash column chromatography (EtOAc–hexanes, 25:75) to
give 0.283 g (97% yield) of adduct 3a.
1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): d = 1.29 (t, 3 H, J = 7.1 Hz), 4.27 (q,
2 H, J = 7.1 Hz), 5.23 (s, 1 H), 6.89 (d, 2 H, J = 2.2 Hz), 7.09–7.28
(m, 6 H), 7.67 (d, 2 H, J = 7.3 Hz), 7.96 (br s, 2 H).
13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3): d = 14.9, 40.9, 61.4, 111.6, 113.7,
119.5, 119.7, 122.2, 123.7, 126.9, 136.6, 173.9.
MS (EI, 70 eV): m/z (%) = 318 [M+], 258, 245 (100), 202, 116, 106,
87.
Anal. Calcd for C20H18N2O2: C, 75.45; H, 5.70; N, 8.80. Found: C,
75.49; H, 5.68; N, 8.82.
3,3¢-Pentane-1,1-diylbis-1H-indole (3b)
Colorless oil.
IR (neat): 3403, 1609, 1457 cm–1.
2,2-Di-1H-indol-3-ylethanol (8)
A solution of 7 (0.80 g, 2.51 mmol) in anhyd Et2O (23 mL) was add-
ed drop-wise to a stirred and cooled (0 °C) suspension of LiAlH4
(0.22 g, 5.93 mmol) in anhyd Et2O (18 mL) under a nitrogen atmos-
phere. The resulting mixture was vigorously stirred at r.t. for 1 h,
then quenched by addition of a 10% aq solution of potassium and
sodium tartrate (25 mL). The product was extracted with CHCl3 and
the combined organic layers were washed with H2O and brine dried
(MgSO4). The solvent was evaporated giving crude alcohol 8 that
was used in the next stage of preparation without purification.
1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): d = 0.92 (t, 3 H, J = 7.2 Hz), 1.27–
1.44 (m, H), 2.15–2.45 (m, 2 H), 4.44 (t, 1 H, J = 8.0 Hz), 6.83–7.04
(m, 2 H), 7.17–7.50 (m, 8 H), 8.00 (br s, 2 H).
13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3): d = 14.3, 25.7, 30.1, 31.1, 36.0, 110.9,
116.3, 120.3, 121.0, 124.1, 125.6, 136.0, 138.3.
MS (EI, 70 eV): m/z (%) = 302 [M+], 273, 245 (100), 186, 130, 116,
106, 57.
Anal. Calcd for C21H22N2: C, 83.40; H, 7.33; N, 9.26. Found: C,
83.42; H, 7.28; N, 9.23.
Yield: 0.50 g (72%); mp 49–51 °C.
IR (neat): 3404, 3386, 1629 cm–1.
3,3¢-{[4-(Trifluoromethyl)phenyl]methylene}bis-1H-indole (3d)
1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): d = 1.71 (br s, 1 H), 4.30 (d, 2 H, J
= 5.8 Hz), 4.80 (t, 1 H, J = 5.8 Hz), 6.98–7.23 (m, 6 H), 7.36 (dd, 2
H, J = 8.1, 0.7 Hz), 7.62 (d, 2 H, J = 7.7 Hz), 8.04 (br s, 2 H).
Colorless oil.
IR (neat): 3402, 1456, 1324 cm–1.
1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): d = 5.96 (s, 1 H), 6.65 (d, 2 H, J = 2.56
Hz), 7.04–7.08 (m, 2 H), 7.21–7.38 (m, 4 H), 7.83–7.91 (m, 5 H),
7.99–8.07 (m, 3 H).
13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3): d = 39.3, 110.7, 113.3, 117.8, 120.6,
121.0, 121.4, 122.8, 123.2, 125.7, 125.9, 127.5, 128.3, 131.2, 134.2,
140.7, 155.7.
13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3): d = 29.6, 65.3, 110.9, 118.3, 119.8,
120.9, 126.3, 130.4, 138.2.
MS (EI, 70 eV): m/z (%) = 276 [M+], 258 (100), 245, 130, 116, 31.
Anal. Calcd for C18H16N2O: C, 78.24; H, 5.84; N, 10.14. Found: C,
78.20; H, 5.82; N, 10.13.
MS (EI, 70 eV): m/z (%) = 390 [M+, 100], 274, 245, 145, 116.
Streptindole (9)
To a round-bottomed flask and under nitrogen atmosphere were
added Ac2O (0.174 mL, 1.71 mmol), Mg(ClO4)2 (3.8 mg, 0.0171
mmol), anhyd Et2O (5 mL) and in three small portions 2,2-di-1H-
indol-3-ylethanol (8) (0.45 g, 1.63 mmol). The mixture was stirred
at 20 °C until the reaction was complete (1 h, checked by TLC and
GC analyses). After Et2O and aqueous NaHCO3 had been added, the
mixture was stirred for 30 min to decompose the slight excess of
Ac2O. The aqueous layer was separated and extracted with Et2O.
The combined organic layers were dried (MgSO4) and the solvent
was evaporated to give pure streptindole (9).
Anal. Calcd for C24H17F3N2: C, 73.84; H, 4.39; N, 7.18. Found: C,
73.81; H, 4.38; N, 7.23.
3,3¢-(4-tert-Butylcyclohexane-1,1-diyl)bis-1H-indole (3m)
Colorless oil.
IR (neat): 3404, 1489 cm–1.
1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): d = 0.85 (s, 6 H), 0.93 (s, 3 H), 1.27–
1.53 (m, 4 H), 1.71–1.76 (m, 1 H), 2.21–2.40 (m, 3 H), 2.91–2.98
(m, 1 H), 6.83–6.98 (m, 3 H), 7.04–7.19 (m, 2 H), 7.24–7.35 (m, 3
H), 7.49 (d, 1 H, J = 8.1 Hz), 7.67 (d, 1 H, J = 8.1 Hz), 7.77 (br s, 1
H), 8.02 (br s, 1 H).
13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3): d = 23.6, 28.4, 32.2, 38.5, 46.0, 51.0,
109.1, 117.2, 119.7, 120.3, 123.1, 124.8, 126.0, 140.3.
Yield: 0.224 g (98%); uncertain low mp.
IR (neat): 3403, 1722, 1618 cm–1.
1H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl3): d = 2.00 (s, 3 H), 4.75 (d, 2 H, J = 7.0
Hz), 4.97 (t, 1 H, J = 7.0 Hz), 6.99–7.27 (m, 6 H), 7.37 (d, 2 H,
J = 7.7 Hz), 7.64 (d, 2 H, J = 7.3 Hz), 8.00 (br s, 2 H).
MS (EI, 70 eV): m/z (%) = 370 [M+], 313, 271 (100), 130, 116, 57.
13C NMR (75 MHz, CDCl3): d = 21.3, 33.7, 67.5, 11.3, 116.5,
119.6, 122.2, 122.4, 127.2, 136.6, 171.5.
Anal. Calcd for C26H30N2: C, 84.28; H, 8.16; N, 7.56. Found: C,
84.32; H, 8.18; N, 7.53.
MS (EI, 70 eV): m/z (%) = 318 [M+], 275, 245 (100), 116, 103, 60.
43.
Ethyl Di-1H-indol-3-ylacetate (7)
To a combination of CeCl3·7H2O (0.143 g, 0.38 mmol) and NaI (17
mg, 0.38 mmol) supported on silica gel (1.92 g) prepared as de-
scribed above was added indole (0.9 g, 7.68 mmol) and a 50% solu-
tion of ethyl glyoxylate (6) in toluene (0.75 mL, 3.84 mmol). The
resulting mixture was stirred at r.t. until the disappearance of indole
(48 h, checked by TLC analysis). Then Et2O was added and the re-
sulting mixture was concentrated. The crude product was purified
by flash column chromatography (EtOAc–hexanes, 40:60) to give
acetate 7 (1.04 g, 85% yield) as oil.
Anal. Calcd for C20H18N2O2: C, 75.45; H, 5.70; N, 8.80. Found: C,
75.44; H, 5.66; N, 8.78.
Acknowledgment
We thank the Italian MIUR (National Project ‘Stereoselezione in
Sintesi Organica. Metodologie and Applicazioni’) and the Univer-
sity of Camerino (funds FAR) for financial support. G. F. gratefully
acknowledges the Teuco Guzzini Montelupone Plant for post-grad-
uate fellowship.
IR (neat): 3402, 1732, 1620 cm–1.
Synthesis 2004, No. 6, 895–900 © Thieme Stuttgart · New York