A radical-mediated multicomponent cascade reaction for the synthesis of azide-biindole derivatives

A radical-mediated, one-pot, multicomponent cascade reaction was developed for the synthesis of azide-biindole derivatives. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that the nitrogen-centred free radical was formed by the reaction of heterocyclic N-H with Cu-II and PIFA and initiated the cascade reaction with indole to obtain the biindole intermediate. The biindole intermediate then reacted with sodium azide in the presence of Cu-II catalyst and PIFA to form the final products. This methodology may be useful for constructing other azido heterocycles.

Automated summary

A new radical-mediated, one-pot, multicomponent cascade reaction was developed for the synthesis of azide-biindole derivatives. Mechanistic studies showed the formation of nitrogen-centred free radicals which initiated the cascade reaction to obtain the final products. This methodology may have potential applications in constructing other azido heterocycles.