Facile Synthesis of 3-Aryl-3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles from 2-Arylindoles

An efficient synthetic route of 3-aryl-3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles has been developed from 2-arylindoles. The procedure provides a brand-new synthetic method of 3-aryl-3-hydroxy-2-oxindoles from readily available starting materials in high yields. We reported an aerobic transition metal-free synthesis of 2,3-diarylindoles via an oxidative nucleophilic substitution of hydrogen (ONSH) pathway from 2-arylindoles and nitroarenes. As an example, the reaction of 2-phenylindole (1a) and 1,3-dinitrobenzene in DMSO in the presence of Cs₂CO₃ under O₂ balloon atmosphere afforded 2,3-diarylindole in good yield (78%) in short time, as shown in Scheme 1. During the study, we found the formation of 3-phenyl-3-hydroxy-2-oxindole (2a), albeit in moderate yield (41%), under the same reaction condition for a long time (8 h) without 1,3-dinitrobenzene. Based on the experimental results, the reaction mechanism for the conversion of 1a to 2a is proposed, as shown in Scheme 2. The indole anion I was converted to 3-hydroxyindolenine intermediate III via the hydroperoxide intermediate II. Subsequently, III was changed to an epoxide intermediate IV under basic condition, and a following semipinacol type rearrangement of IV would produce 3-phenyloxindole VI. A subsequent aerobic oxidation of VI would produce 2a