Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, National Institute of Diabetes, and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.
Tryptamines disubstituted at the beta-position with fluorine have been synthesized as part of our research program to study the effects of fluorine substitution on the biological activities of neuroactive amines. Treatment of N-Boc-3-azidoacetyl indoles, prepared from readily available 2-chloracetylindoles, with dimethoxyethylamino sulfurtrifluoride produced the corresponding 3-(2-azido-1,1-difluoroethyl)indoles. Reduction of the azide to amine with hydrogen over Pd-C and careful removal of the N-Boc protecting group produced beta,beta-difluorotryptamines.