<i>N</i>‑Amino-7-azaindole as the <i>N</i>,<i>N</i>′‑Bidentate Directing Group: Ruthenium-Catalyzed Oxidative Annulation of <i>N</i>‑(7-Azaindole)benzamides with Alkynes via C–H Bond Activation

We report a new application of N-amino-7-azaindole as a new bidentate-directing group for [Ru­(p-cymene)­Cl2]2-catalyzed C­(sp2)–H alkenylation/annulation of N-(1H-pyrrolo­[2,3-b]­pyridin-1-yl)­benzamides with internal alkynes to afford N-isoquinolono-7-azaindole via the formation of C–C and C–N bonds. The reaction shows a wide range of substrate scope with different symmetrical and unsymmetrical alkynes, affording the desired product in good to excellent yields. In the case of unsymmetrical alkynes, a highly regioselective product was obtained, which was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. A new ruthenium-4-methyl-N-(1H-pyrrolo­[2,3-b]­pyridin-1-yl)­benzamide complex was isolated, and its structure was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray crystallography.