Indium-Catalyzed Regioselective β-Alkylation of Pyrroles with Carbonyl Compounds and Hydrosilanes and Its Application to Construction of a Quaternary Carbon Center with a β-Pyrrolyl Group.

Treatment of N-substituted pyrroles with carbonyl compounds and nucleophiles under indium catalysis was found to be a promising method for preparing β-alkylpyrroles without contamination by α-alkylpyrroles. With this methodology, a variety of alkyl groups, which are primary, secondary, and tertiary as well as cyclic and functionalized types, can be introduced in place onto the pyrrole ring. The simplicity performable as a catalytic one-step process is one of the important features of this reaction. The substituent on the nitrogen atom of the product β-alkylpyrrole can be removed easily by literature procedures. Therefore, the indium-catalyzed β-alkylation plus the N-deprotection is a powerful system for all six variations, which are N-substituted and N-unsubstituted β-alkylpyrroles having primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl groups. Our method is applicable to synthesizing, albeit in two steps, β-pyrrolyl-group-connected unsymmetrical tetraarylmethanes that have not been addressed thus far. Mechanistic studies showed the following three aspects: (1) dipyrrolylalkanes produced in situ from the pyrrole and carbonyl compound are key intermediates, (2) the selective β-alkylation is attributed to the selective elimination of an α-pyrrolyl group from the dipyrrolylalkane intermediates, and (3) the indium Lewis acid catalyst is indispensable for the progress of both stages.