Scope and Mechanism of the Ruthenium-Catalyzed sp3 C–H Coupling Reaction of 2-Alkylindoles with Enones for the Synthesis of Carbazole Derivatives

The catalytic system consisting of a cationic Ru–H complex 1 and 3,4,5,6-tetrachloro-1,2-benzoquinone ( L1 ) was found to be highly effective for the dehydrative sp 3 C–H coupling reaction of 2-alkyl substituted indoles with enones to form 2,4-disubstituted carbazole products. The analogous coupling reaction of 2-alkylindoles with linear enones bearing the cyclic olefinic group afforded tetracyclic carbazole products. A normal deuterium kinetic isotope effect was measured from the coupling reaction of 1,2-dimethylindole versus 1-methyl-2-(methyl- d 3 )indole with ( E )-3-penten-2-one ( k H / k D = 2.5). The Hammett plot was constructed from the reaction of para -substituted indoles 5-X-1,2-dimethylindole (X = OMe, Me, H, F, and Cl) with 4-phenyl-3-buten-2-one (ρ = −1.6 ± 0.2). The density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to obtain a complete energy profile for the coupling reaction. The combined experimental and DFT computational data revealed a detailed mechanistic path that features an initial coupling of indole and enone substrates, the turnover-limiting heterolytic sp 3 C–H activation step, and the subsequent cyclization and dehydration steps. The catalytic method provides an efficient synthesis of carbazole derivatives from the dehydrative sp 3 C–H coupling reaction of readily available indole with enone substrates without employing any reactive reagents or forming wasteful byproducts.