From Benzofurans to Indoles: Palladium-Catalyzed Reductive Ring-Opening and Closure via beta-Phenoxide Elimination

Benzofurans can undergo ring-opening by a palladium-catalyzed process resulting in C-O bond breaking. Benzofuran-tethered 2-iodoanilines give synthetically interesting 2-(3-indolylmethyl)phenols in an overall reductive process. Mechanistic studies suggest that this unusual reaction proceeds by carbopalladation of benzofuran giving a 3-palladated 2,3-dihydrobenzofuran intermediate, which then fragments by an uncommon trans-elimination of the phenoxide group beta to the metal. In this transformation, N,N-diisopropylethylamine (DIPEA) acts as a base and as a reducing agent: it regenerates palladium(0) from palladium(II), thus allowing catalytic turnover.