On the Mechanism of Cross-Dehydrogenative Couplings between N-aryl Glycinates and Indoles: A Computational Study.

Despite the widespread use of cross-dehydrogenative couplings in modern organic synthesis, mechanistic studies are still rare in the literature and those applied to α-amino carbonyl compounds remain virtually unexplored. Herein, the mechanism of Co-catalyzed cross-dehydrogenative couplings of N-aryl glycinates with indoles is described. Density functional theory studies supported the formation of an imine-type intermediate as the more plausible transient electrophilic species. Likewise, key information regarding the role of the N-aryl group and free NH motif within the reaction outcome has been gained, which may set the stage for further developments in this field of expertise.