Preparation of new nitrogen-bridged heterocycles. 55. Reinvestigation of the bromination/dehydrobromination of ethyl 3-[2-(methylthio)indolizin-3-yl]acrylate derivatives.

The bromination/dehydrobromination reactions of ethyl 3-[1-alkoxycarbonyl-2-(methylthio)indolizin-3-yl]acrylates were reinvestigated. Reactions of the title compounds with two equivalents of bromine, followed by heating of the resulting reaction mixture and then treatment with a base gave the unexpected dialkyl 7-bromothieno[2,3-b]indolizine-2,9-dicarboxylates, while similar reactions using benzyltrimethylammonium tribromide as a brominating agent afforded only non-brominated thieno[2,3-b]indolizine derivatives, which were converted to the corresponding 7-bromo derivatives upon further treatment with bromine.