Recent Advances in the Friedländer Reaction

5.05 – Pyridines and their Benzo Derivatives: Synthesis

The efficient, regioselective synthesis of functionalized/annulated quinolines was achieved by the coupling of 2-aminoaryl ketones with alkynes/active methylenes/α-oxoketene dithioacetals promoted by InCl(3) in refluxing acetonitrile as well as under solvent-free conditions in excellent yields. This transformation presumably proceeded through the hydroamination-hydroarylation of alkynes, and the Friedlander annulation of active methylene compounds and α-oxoketene dithioacetals with 2-aminoarylketones. In addition, simple reductive and oxidative cyclization of 2-nitrobenzaldehyde and 2-aminobenzylalcohol, respectively, afforded substituted quinolines. Systematic optimization of the reaction parameters allowed us to identify two-component coupling (2CC) conditions that were tolerant of a wide range of functional groups, thereby providing densely functionalized/annulated quinolines. This approach tolerates the synthesis of various bioactive quinoline frameworks from the same 2-aminoarylketones under mild conditions, thus making this strategy highly useful in diversity-oriented synthesis (DOS). The scope and limitations of the alkyne-, activated methylene-, and α-oxoketene dithioacetal components on the reaction were also investigated.

InCl3‐Driven Regioselective Synthesis of Functionalized/Annulated Quinolines: Scope and Limitations

A novel synthesis of 2-substituted 4-quinolones was developed on the basis of the conjugate additions of appropriately ortho-substituted anilines to acetylenic sulfones followed by intramolecular acylation of the corresponding sulfone-stabilized anions. Conjugate additions of variously substituted anilines to alkyl-substituted acetylenic sulfones generally proceeded slowly and in poor yield, especially when the aniline contained an electron-withdrawing substituent such as an ester group. In some cases, the reactions were enhanced by the presence of DMAP and the use of an excess of the sulfone in aqueous DMF. N-Formylanilines proved superior to free anilines. The products were either vinyl or allyl sulfones, depending on the conditions and the structure of the reactants. The acetylenic sulfone exists in equilibrium with its allenic and propargylic isomers under base-catalyzed conditions. Therefore, any of the three unsaturated sulfones can serve as the starting material for the conjugate additions. o-Iodoanilines proved superior to methyl anthranilate derivatives and underwent conjugate additions smoothly. The products were subjected to palladium-catalyzed carbonylation in methanol, and the resulting methyl esters were cyclized by treatment with strong bases such as LiHMDS or LiTMP, followed by reductive desulfonylation with aluminum amalgam. The resulting 2-substituted 4-quinolones included the naturally occurring medicinal compounds 1 and 2 and the O-methyl derivative 3.

Conjugate additions of o-iodoanilines and methyl anthranilates to acetylenic sulfones. A new route to quinolones including first syntheses of two alkaloids from the medicinal herb Ruta chalepensis.

R.J Chongau

Papers

Synthetic connections to the aromatic directed metalation reaction. A modified von niementowski quinoline synthesis from anthranilamides