Synthesis of N-Fused Polycyclic Indoles via Ligand-Free Palladium-Catalyzed Annulation/Acyl Migration Reaction

An efficient synthesis of N-fused polycyclic indoles by a palladium-catalyzed annulation/acyl migration cascade reaction is described. The reaction is ligand-free, scalable, and provides access to a diverse range of useful indole scaffolds from readily available starting materials. Supporting mechanistic studies indicate that the reaction likely proceeds via an intramolecular alpha-arylation mechanism. The synthetic utility of this protocol is demonstrated by a gram-scale reaction and syntheses toward indole alkaloids and a HSP90 inhibitor.