A concise synthesis of the natural carbazole mukonine

摘要

A short and total synthesis of the natural carbazole mukonine (1) is described, based on a regioselective Diels-Alder reaction of N-phenyl 4,5-dimethylidene-2-oxazolidinone (9) with methyl propiolate (10). Successive transformation of the cycloadduct in one step to the corresponding phenylarylamine (16), and palladium promoted cyclization of the latter provided carbazole (1).