Photochemical C-H Activation: Generation of Indole and Carbazole Libraries, and First Total Synthesis of Clausenawalline D

The photolysis of N-aryltriazoles and N-arylbenzotriazoles leads to indoles and carbazoles, respectively. Because libraries of triazoles can be accessed rapidly, for example by the copper-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition reaction between alkynes and azides, this reaction allows the preparation of indoles in a single operation, by the simultaneous photolysis of the precursor library. As an example of such a synthesis of carbazoles, we prepared for the first time clausenawalline D, an antimalarial alkaloid that was recently isolated.