Synthesis of 3-acylated indoles through iron-catalyzed oxidative coupling of indoles with α-amino carbonyl compounds

A novel iron-catalyzed oxidative coupling of indoles with -amino carbonyl compounds has been developed. The transformation provides an attractive approach to the synthesis of 3-acylindoles, with the advantages of easily available starting materials and high functional group tolerance. Furthermore, control experiments imply that a radical process maybe involved in this reaction.