Reductive Cyclization of o-Nitroarylated-α,β-unsaturated Aldehydes and Ketones with TiCl3/HCl or Fe/HCl Leading to 1,2,3,9-Tetrahydro-4H-carbazol-4-ones and Related Heterocycles

Compounds such as 3, the product of a palladium[0]-catalyzed Ullmann cross-coupling of o-iodonitrobenzene and 2-iodocyclohex-2-en-1-one, undergo complementary modes of reductive cyclization depending upon the conditions employed. Thus, on treatment with hydrogen in the presence of palladium on carbon, the tetrahydrocarbazole 4 is formed, while reaction of the same substrate (3) with TiCl3 in acetone affords the 1,2,3,9-tetrahydro-4H-carbazol-4-one 6.