Synthesis of Pyrroloindolines via N-Heterocyclic Carbene Catalyzed Dearomative Amidoacylation of Indole Derivatives

Org Lett. 2023 Dec 8;25(48):8677-8682. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.3c03588. Epub 2023 Nov 23.

Abstract

Pyrroloindoline is a privileged heterocyclic motif that is widely present in many natural products and pharmaceutical compounds. Herein, we report an amidyl radical-mediated dearomatization for synthesizing a series of pyrroloindolines via N-heterocyclic carbene catalysis. In this organocatalytic process, the Breslow enolate served as both a single electron donor and an acyl radical equivalent to assemble C3a-acyl pyrroloindolines with a broad substrate scope. Sequential reduction of the indole derivatives provided the analogues of (±)-desoxyeseroline, which exhibited potential anticancer activity.