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Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Synthesis of Hypervalent Iodonium Alkynyl Triflates for the Application of Generating Cyanocarbenes
Published on: September 8, 2013
Iridium-catalyzed, silyl-directed borylation of nitrogen-containing heterocycles
Daniel W Robbins1, Timothy A Boebel, John F Hartwig
1Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA.
Abstract:
Selective methods for the functionalization of indoles and other nitrogen heterocycles would provide access to the core structures of many natural products and pharmaceuticals. Although there are many methods and strategies for the synthesis of substituted indoles or functionalization of the azole ring, strategies for the selective functionalization of the benzo-fused portion of the indole skeleton, particularly the 7-position, are less common. We report a one-pot, iridium-catalyzed, silyl-directed C-H borylation of indoles at the 7-position. This process occurs in high yield with a variety of substituted indoles, and conversions of the 7-borylindole products to 7-aryl-, 7-cinnamyl-, and 7-haloindoles are demonstrated. The Ir-catalyzed, silyl-directed C-H borylation also occurs with several other nitrogen heterocycles, including carbazole, phenothiazines, and tetrahydroquinoline. The utility of this methodology is highlighted by the one-pot synthesis of a member of the pyrrolophenanthridone class of alkaloid natural products.
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