A Facile Route to Indolo

Treatment of 1-(2'-bromobenzyl)-3,4-dihydroisoquinolines 2 in the presence of K(2)CO(3) in boiling DMF efficiently provided a variety of alkoxy-substituted indolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines 3. Application of this cyclization to 7-benzyloxyisoquinoline derivatives, followed by further elaboration of the resultant 2-benzyloxy-5,6-dihydroindolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines 16a,b, led to the formal synthesis of dibenzopyrrocoline alkaloids, (+/-)-cryptaustoline (1a) and (+/-)-cryptowoline (1b).

Aryl radical cyclizations of 1-(2'-bromobenzyl)isoquinolines with AIBN-Bu3SnH: formation of aporphines and indolo

[reaction: see text] Radical cyclization of alkoxy-substituted 1-(2'-bromobenzyl)-3,4-dihydroisoquinolines 1 with AIBN-Bu3SnH gave 6a,7-dehydroaporphines 2 preferentially. A steric repulsion between the respective alkoxy groups at the 7- and 3'-positions gave 5,6-dihydroindolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines 3 in a "disfavored" 5-endo cyclization mode. Radical cyclizations of the related substrates, such as 1-(2'-bromobenzoyl)isoquinolines or 1-(2'-bromo-alpha-hydroxybenzyl)isoquinolines, were also found to give the corresponding oxoaporphines or oxyaporphines.