Divergent Oxidative Couplings between Indoles and 2,3-Dihydroxybenzoic Acid Derivatives for the Biomimetic Synthesis of Voacalgine A and Bipleiophylline

The present feature article details our endeavors towards the synthesis of the highly intricate bisindole alkaloid bipleiophylline and its biosynthetic precursor voacalgine A: from the development of a divergent oxidative coupling between indole and dihydroxybenzoic acids, to the exploration of the chemical space from natural products and culminating in the biomimetic assembly of voacalgine A and bipleiophylline.