Unusual Regio- and Chemoselectivity in Oxidation of Pyrroles and Indoles Enabled by a Thianthrenium Salt Intermediate

A dearomative oxidation of pyrroles to Δ3-pyrrol-2-ones is described, which employs a sulfoxide as oxidant, in conjunction with a carboxylic acid anhydride and a Brønsted acid additive. 3-substituted pyrroles undergo regioselective oxidation to give the product isomer in which oxygen has been introduced at the more hindered position. Regioselectivity is rationalized by a proposed mechanism that proceeds by initial thianthrenium introduction at the less-hindered pyrrole α-position, followed by distal attack of an oxygen nucleophile and subsequent elimination of thianthrene. The same reaction conditions are also able to effect a chemoselective oxidation of indoles to indolin-3-ones and additionally of indolin-3-ones to 2-hydroxyindolin-3-ones. Here again, the regio- and chemoselectivities are rationalized through the intermediacy of a thianthrenium salt.

Domino Grignard Addition and Oxidation for the One-Pot Synthesis of C2-Quaternary 2-Hydroxyindoxyls

We herein delineate an unexplored reactivity of 3-hydroxyoxindoles toward Grignard addition enabling a rapid access to a broad range of unnatural C2-quaternary 2-hydroxyindoxyls in high yields. The reaction proceeds via a mechanistically intriguing one-pot 1,2-hydride shift followed by autoxidation pathway. The utility of this method is demonstrated by the synthesis of a new class of bis-indoxyl spirofuran derivatives.