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C7‐Indole Amidations and Alkenylations by Ruthenium(II) Catalysis
Author(s) -
Choi Isaac,
Messinis Antonis M.,
Ackermann Lutz
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.202006164
Subject(s) - ruthenium , indole test , combinatorial chemistry , chemistry , catalysis , surface modification , electrophile , stereochemistry , organic chemistry
C7−H‐functionalized indoles are ubiquitous structural units of biological and pharmaceutical compounds for numerous antiviral agents against SARS‐CoV or HIV‐1. Thus, achieving site‐selective functionalizations of the C7−H position of indoles, while discriminating among other bonds, is in high demand. Herein, we disclose site‐selective C7−H activations of indoles by ruthenium(II) biscarboxylate catalysis under mild conditions. Base‐assisted internal electrophilic‐type substitution C−H ruthenation by weak O‐coordination enabled the C7−H functionalization of indoles and offered a broad scope, including C−N and C−C bond formation. The versatile ruthenium‐catalyzed C7−H activations were characterized by gram‐scale syntheses and the traceless removal of the directing group, thus providing easy access to pharmaceutically relevant scaffolds. Detailed mechanistic studies through spectroscopic and spectrometric analyses shed light on the unique nature of the robust ruthenium catalysis for the functionalization of the C7−H position of indoles.