Facile synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes catalyzed by α-chymotrypsin

FeCl3/SiO2-catalyzed bis-indolylation of acetals and ketals: a highly atom-economical approach to the selective deprotection of protected carbohydrates

A simple and green catalytic system is developed for the synthesis of 3,3'-bisindolyl(methanes) (BIMs) using cyclic/acyclic acetals as the carbon source for the bridging residue between two indole motifs. The reaction occurred under mild and benign conditions using FeCl3/SiO2 as a heterogeneous catalyst without the requirement of any toxic organic solvents. The ready availability and recyclability of the catalytic system allows the reaction to be highly efficient, resulting in very good BIM products. DFT studies were also performed to establish the proposed mechanism and preferential formation of unsymmetrical bisindolylmethanes using equimolar amounts of different indoles. The present protocol is also extended to the bisindolylation-induced selective cleavage of protected carbohydrates to diols in a 100% carbon-preservation and maximized atom-economical manner.

Green electrosynthesis of bis(indolyl)methane derivatives in deep eutectic solvents

In this study, a new green method was developed for the synthesis of bis(indolyl)methane derivatives using electrochemical bisarylation reaction in deep eutectic solvents as a green alternative to traditional solvents and electrolytes. The effects of varying time, current, type of solvent and material of electrodes were all studied. The optimum reaction conditions involved the use of ethylene glycol/choline chloride with a ratio of 2:1 at 80 °C for 45 min. Graphite and platinum were used as cathode and anode, respectively. The newly developed method offered many advantages such as using mild reaction conditions, short reaction time and affording high product yields with a wide range of substituted aromatic aldehydes bearing electron donating or electron withdrawing substituents. In addition, the electrochemical method proved to be more effective than heating in deep eutectic solvents and afforded higher yields of products in shorter reaction time. The mechanism of the electrochemical reaction was proposed and confirmed using the cyclic voltammetry study.

Green and sustainable approaches for the Friedel-Crafts reaction between aldehydes and indoles

The synthesis of indoles and their derivatives, more specifically bis(indolyl)methanes (BIMs), has been an area of great interest in organic chemistry, since these compounds exhibit a range of interesting biological and pharmacological properties. BIMs are naturally found in cruciferous vegetables and have been shown to be effective antifungal, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and even anticancer agents. Traditionally, the synthesis of BIMs has been achieved upon the acidic condensation of an aldehyde with indole, utilizing a variety of protic or Lewis acids. However, due to the increased environmental awareness of our society, the focus has shifted towards the development of greener synthetic technologies, like photocatalysis, organocatalysis, the use of nanocatalysts, microwave irradiation, ball milling, continuous flow, and many more. Thus, in this review, we summarize the medicinal properties of BIMs and the developed BIM synthetic protocols, utilizing the reaction between aldehydes with indoles, while focusing on the more environmentally friendly methods developed over the years.

An approach to unsymmetrical 3,3′-diindolylmethanes through Pd-catalyzed cascade Heck cyclization of allenamides and o-ethynylanilines

A highly efficient synthesis of unsymmetrical 3,3′-diindolylmethanes has been developed by palladium-catalyzed cascade Heck/cyclization reaction.

Efficient biocatalytic strategy for one-pot Biginelli reaction via enhanced specific effects of microwave in a circulating reactor

A one-pot efficient biocatalytic strategy for the synthesis of 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2-(1H)-ones was developed in a circulating microwave reactor selecting α-chymotrypsin as the promiscuous biocatalyst. In the circulating reaction system, the combination of microwave heating and external cooling could avoid the denaturation and inactivation of enzyme, and greatly improved the radiation power of microwave, thus improving the specific effects of microwave. During the reaction process, the microwave radiation power was automatically adjusted by adjusting the speed of the reaction mixture circulation. When the microwave power was maintained at 110 W, the best results could be obtained with the highest yield of 96% at 55 °C in 50 min, and the reaction had a wide range of substrates. But no obvious product was detected in a tank microwave reactor at 55 °C for 100 min, under this condition, the microwave power was maintained at about 3 W. As a contrast, the reaction only obtained 63% yield in 55 °C oil bath for 96 h.

Enzymatic approach to cascade synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes in pure water

TLIM: lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus immobilized on particle silica gel.

Development of an imidazole salt catalytic system for the preparation of bis(indolyl)methanes and bis(naphthyl)methane

Imidazolium salts are shown to catalyze the rapid room temperature reaction of indoles or naphthol with aldehydes to provide bis(indolyl)methanes or bis(naphthol)methane in excellent yields and the reaction proceeds optimally in dichloromethane with no base additives. The reaction exhibits a broad substrate tolerance and occurs through nucleophilic activation of the indoles and naphthols through a cation-π interaction.

Thiamine hydrochloride as a recyclable organocatalyst for the synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes, tris(indolyl)methanes, 3,3-di(indol-3-yl)indolin-2-ones and biscoumarins

Thiamine hydrochloride was identified as an eco-friendly organocatalyst for the synthesis of a broad range of bis(indolyl)methanes, tris(indolyl)methanes, 3,3-di(indol-3-yl)indolin-2-ones and biscoumarin derivatives in good to excellent yields.

Photoredox Catalysis Induced Bisindolylation of Ethers/Alcohols via Sequential C-H and C-O Bond Cleavage

A visible-light-engaged 2-fold site-selective alkylation of indole derivatives with aliphatic ethers or alcohols has been accomplished for easy access to symmetric 3,3'-bisindolylmethane derivatives. The experimental data suggest a sequential photoredox catalysis induced radical addition and proton-mediated Friedel-Crafts alkylation mechanism.

A Convenient Synthesis of 3,7'-Bisindole Derivatives

An efficient and convenient method to synthesize highly functionalized 3,7'-bisindole derivatives has been developed via a Michael addition and cyclic condensation reaction of heterocyclic ketene aminals (HKAs) with 2-(1H-indol-3-yl)cyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-dione derivatives in ethanol-based solvents at room temperature. This strategy provides an efficient, environmentally friendly approach for easy access to various novel 3,7'-bisindole derivatives in moderate to good yields.