Dual Catalytic Synthesis of Antiviral Compounds Based on Metallocarbene-Azide Cascade Chemistry

J Org Chem. 2018 Jul 6;83(13):6829-6842. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.8b00222. Epub 2018 May 3.

Abstract

Aryl azides trap ortho-metallocarbene intermediates to generate indolenones possessing a reactive C-acylimine moiety, which can react with added indole nucleophiles to afford the 2-(3-indolyl)indolin-3-one scaffold found in the antiviral natural product isatisine A. This overall process occurs through a dual catalytic sequence at room temperature. Redox activation of the Cu(OTf)2 precatalyst by indole results in catalytically competent Cu(I) required for azide-metallocarbene coupling. The Brønsted acid that is also formed from Cu(OTf)2 reduction is responsible for catalysis of the C-C bond-forming indole addition step. This modular, procedurally simple method allows for rapid assembly of bis(indole) libraries, several of which proved to have anti-infective activity against respiratory syncytial virus and Zika virus.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't