Indoles via Knoevenagel–Hemetsberger reaction sequence

A series of substituted indoles have been synthesized by the sequential reaction of aromatic aldehydes with ethyl azidoacetate in the presence of sodium ethoxide to form the corresponding ethyl α-azido-β-arylacrylates (Knoevenagel process) followed by a solvent mediated thermolysis (Hemetsberger process). The isolated yields of the ethyl α-azido-β-arylacrylates were significantly increased when employing the sacrificial electrophile ethyl trifluoroacetate. 1H NMR and coupled 1H–13C NMR analysis of the ethyl α-azido-β-arylacrylates indicate that the condensation is stereospecific—only the Z-isomer could be detected. Solvent mediated thermal treatment of the meta-substituted ethyl α-azido-β-arylacrylates resulted in the formation of both the 5- and 7- substituted indoles—the 5-regioisomer being slightly favored over the 7-regioisomer. Analogous thermal treatment of (2Z, 2Z′)-diethyl 3,3′-(1,3-phenylene)bis(2-azidoacrylate) and (2Z, 2Z′)-diethyl 3,3′-(1,4-phenylene)bis(2-azidoacrylate) exclusively produced pyrroloindoles, diethyl 1,5-dihydropyrrolo[2,3-f]indole-2,6-dicarboxylate and diethyl 1,5-dihydropyrrolo[2,3-f]indole-2,6-dicarboxylate, respectively. Results are also reported which indicate that the α-azido-β-arylacrylates can be used in the subsequent Hemetsberger indolization process without prior purification.