Synlett 2022(9): 1550-1552
DOI: 10.1055/s-2002-33532
LETTER
© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

InCl3-Catalyzed Alkylation of Indoles with Epoxides

J. S. Yadav*, B. V. S. Reddy, Sunny Abraham, G. Sabitha
Division of Organic Chemistry, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad 500 007, India
Fax: 91(40)7160512; e-Mail: yadav@iict.ap.nic.in;
Further Information

Publication History

Received 15 July 2002
Publication Date:
17 September 2002 (online)

Abstract

Indoles react smoothly with terminal epoxides in the presence of catalytic amount of InCl3 under mild conditions to afford the corresponding 3-alkyl indole derivatives in high yields with high regioselectivity.

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Experimental procedure: A mixture of epoxide (5 mmol), indole (5 mmol) and InCl3 (10 mol%) in dichloromethane (15 mL) was stirred at ambient temperature for an appropriate time (Table). After completion of the reaction, as indicated by TLC, the reaction mixture was diluted with water (2 × 10 mL) and extracted with dichloromethane (2 × 15 mL). The aqueous layer was concentrated in vacuo to recover the catalyst. The combined organic layers were dried over anhydrous Na2SO4, concentrated in vacuo and purified by column chromatography on silica gel (Merck, 100-200 mesh, ethyl acetate-hexane 2:8) to afford pure product. Spectral data for selected compounds 3a : Solid, mp 121-122 °C; IR (KBr): 3520, 3050, 1640, 1500, 1240, 700 cm-1; 1H NMR (200 MHz, CDCl3): δ 2.13 (br s, 1 H, OH), 4.10 (dd, J = 10.5, 6.7 Hz, 1 H), 4.20 (dd, J = 10.5, 6.7 Hz, 1 H), 4.45 (t, 1 H, J = 6.7 Hz), 7.03 (dd, J = 8.0, 1.8 Hz, 1 H), 7.07 (d, J = 1.8 Hz, 1 H), 7.16 (dd, J = 8.0, 1.8 Hz, 1 H), 7.21 (m, 1 H), 7.26-7.36 (m, 5 H), 7.44 (d, J = 8.0 Hz, 1 H), 8.05 (brs, NH, 1 H); EIMS m/z: 237 (M+); Anal. Calcd for C16H15NO (237.30): C, 80.98; H, 6.37; N, 5.90. Found: C, 80.95; H, 6.44; N, 5.95.
4f : Solid, mp 83-84 °C; IR (KBr): 3420, 2980, 1597, 1481,1240, 770 cm-1; 1H NMR (200 MHz, CDCl3): δ 2.35 (br s, 1 H, OH), 3.10 (d, J = 6.4 Hz, 2 H), 3.90 (dd, J = 13.5, 6.2 Hz, 1 H), 3.97 (dd, J = 13.5, 4.0 Hz, 1 H), 4.30 (m, 1 H), 6.80-7.35 (m, 9 H), 7.60 (d, J = 8.1 Hz, 1 H), 8.10 (br s, 1 H, NH); EIMS m/z: 267 (M+); Anal. Calcd for C17H17NO2 (267.32): C, 76.38; H, 6.41; N, 5.24. Found: C, 76.41; H, 6.43; N, 5.30.