Palladium-Catalyzed Carbonylative Synthesis of Amide-Containing Indolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines from Alkene-Tethered Indoles and Nitroarenes

Abstract

In this new procedure, amide-containing indolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline scaffolds were prepared by palladium-catalyzed carbonylative cyclization of alkene-tethered indoles with nitroarenes. By using Mo(CO)6 as the CO source and reductant and nitroarenes as the nitrogen source, this reaction produced various amide-containing indolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline derivatives in good yields in general. Furthermore, the late-stage modifications of bioactive molecules using this protocol were demonstrated as well.