Anticancer Agents, 19[1]. Synthesis of the Reduced A‐Unit (CI) of the Antitumor Antibiotic CC‐1065

The synthesis of the reduced A‐unit 2 (CI) of CC‐1065 (1) using a metal‐mediated cyclisation is described. Reaction of N‐allyl‐N‐benzylaniline 4b and zirconocene(methyl) chloride with tert‐BuLi leads via a zirconocene‐stabilized benzyne complex 5 to the 3,4‐difunctionalized indoline derivative 7, which was converted in five steps into 2.