title: Copper(ii) chloride mediated (aza)oxindole synthesis by oxidative coupling of Csp(2)-H and Csp(3)-H centers: substrate scope and DFT study.
abstract: A CuCl2 mediated direct intramolecular oxidative coupling of Csp(2)-H and Csp(3)-H centers gives access to 3,3-disubstituted oxindoles containing aromatic, heteroaromatic and alkyl substituents as well as a heteroatom at the quaternary center in good to excellent yields. The reaction is carried out in the presence of NaOtBu and CuCl2 in DMF at 110 °C. The key step of this reaction is the formation of an amidyl radical by one electron oxidation of amide enolate followed by an intramolecular radical cyclization reaction (homolytic aromatic substitution reaction). A detailed DFT study shows that the cyclization of the amidyl radical is the rate-limiting step in the oxindole synthesis, whereas the second single electron transfer (SET) becomes the rate-determining step in the aza-oxindole formation. Computational data are in agreement with the experimentally observed relative reactivity and regioselectivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Geneva, 30 Quai Ernest Ansermet, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland. peter.kundig@unige.ch.
authors.forename: Chandan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dey
authors.forename: Evgeny
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Larionov
authors.forename: E Peter
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Kündig
mesh_terms: D001372:Aza Compounds / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry*; D007211:Indoles / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry; D015394:Molecular Structure; D058451:Oxidative Coupling; D000078183:Oxindoles; D011789:Quantum Theory; D013816:Thermodynamics
chemical_list: D001372:Aza Compounds; D007211:Indoles; D000078183:Oxindoles; C022960:2-oxindole; D003300:Copper; C029892:cupric chloride