5-Nitroindole → 3-(4-Cyano-2-methoxybenzyl)-5-nitroindole

Participants

Reaction Conditions

Reaction Steps

An efficiently stirred mixture of 5-nitroindole (3.24 g.), bromide (W) (4.57 g.) and silver (I) oxide (4.87 g.) in dry dioxane (90 ml.) was heated at 100° C. for 5 hours. Additional silver oxide (2 g.) was added, and heating continued for 1 hour. The cooled mixture was evaporated, the residue diluted with dichloromethane, filtered, washing the filter cake with dichloromethane until the washings were colorless, and the combined filtrate evaporated. The product was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel, eluting with 3:7 v/v ethyl acetate:hexane, giving a product which was crystallized from a mixture of ethyl acetate and hexane to give 3-(4-cyano-2-methoxybenzyl)-5-nitroindole (1.87 g., 30%) as a yellow powder, m.p. 204°-206° C.; partial NMR (80 MHz, DMSO-d6): 3.92(s,3H, OMe); 4.12(s,2H, ArCH2).

Provenance & Evidence