An expedient synthesis of murrayaquinone A via a novel oxidative free radical reaction

Abstract

Murrayaquinones A–D is a group of four bioactive carbazole-1,4-dione natural products isolated from the root bark of the plant Murraya eucrestifolia hayata. Murrayaquinone is synthesized in five steps starting from the commercially available 2,4,5-trimethoxybenzaldehyde with an overall yield of 45%. The novelty of this murrayaquinone synthesis is in the use of a Mn(OAc)3 mediated oxidative radical reaction of a N-benzylaminoquinone derivative with 2-cyclohexen-1-one for the late-stage indole ring construction.