Rhodium-Catalyzed Selective Oxidative (Spiro)annulation of 2-Arylindoles by Using Benzoquinone as a C2 or C1 Synthon

Rhodium-catalyzed substrate-tunable oxidative annulation and spiroannulation reactions of 2-arylindoles with benzoquinone leading to 9H-dibenzo[a,c]carbazol-3-ols and new spirocyclic products are reported. Intriguingly, with 2-aryl-substituted indoles, benzoquinone could act as a C2 synthon to afford dibenzo[a,c]carbazoles. On the contrary, when 2-aryl-3-substituted indoles were used, benzoquinone switched to act as a C1 synthon to furnish spirocyclic compounds. In addition, further transformations of the obtained products demonstrate the synthetic utility of the present protocol.