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The dimethyltitanocene methylenation of N-acylamides derived from ortho-vinylanilines, ortho-allylaniline, and ortho-vinylbenzylamine provides the corresponding enamides, which upon exposure to the second generation Grubbs ruthenium catalyst give access to indoles, 1,4-dihydroquinolines, and 1,2-dihydroisoquinolines, respectively. This sequential protocol also allows the synthesis of dihydrobenzoazepines, although the ring-closing metathesis (RCM) step is complicated by the alkene isomerization processes. From certain substrates, the direct annulation is observed in the titanium-mediated step, which is likely to occur through an olefin metathesis-intramolecular olefination sequence.

[reaction: see text] 2-Indolylacyl radicals generated from the corresponding selenoesters under hexabutylditin-hnu conditions undergo regioselective intramolecular reaction with unprotonated pyridines to give polycyclic indolylpyridyl ketones. For substrates bearing a (3-pyridyl)methyl moiety connected to the 3-position of the indole ring, the cyclization provides easy access to ellipticine quinones.

A regioselective 6-endo reductive cyclization of 2-indolylacyl radicals constitutes the key step of a straightforward synthetic entry to the olivacine skeleton, illustrated by a total synthesis of the tetrahydropyridine alkaloid guatambuine.

C-4 or C-12 ethyl substituted 1,5-methanoazocino[4,3-b]indoles, which constitute the tetracyclic framework of uleine alkaloids as well as the ABDE substructure of the Strychnos alkaloid family, have been synthesized by novel 6-exo and 6-endo cyclizations of selenoester-derived 2-indolylacyl radicals upon 5-ethyl-1,2,3,6- and 3-ethyl-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridines, respectively.

An indole-templated ring-closing metathesis or a 2-indolylacyl radical cyclization constitute the central steps of two alternative approaches developed to assemble the tricyclic ABC substructure of the indole alkaloid apparicine. From this key intermediate, an intramolecular vinyl halide Heck reaction accomplished the closure of the strained 1-azabicyclo[4.2.2]decane framework of the alkaloid with concomitant incorporation of the exocyclic alkylidene substituents.

The generation of 2-indolylacyl radicals from the corresponding phenyl selenoesters, aldehydes, and alpha-keto carboxylic acids and the scope of their participation in intermolecular addition reactions to carbon-carbon double bonds have been studied. Whereas the phenyl selenoester method has provided easy access to a variety of 1,4-dicarbonyl compounds bearing the 2-acylindole moiety, the glyoxylic acid route has been employed for the preparation of 2-indolyl pyridyl ketones.