Gold-Catalyzed C-H Annulation of Anthranils with Alkynes: A Facile, Flexible, and Atom-Economical Synthesis of Unprotected 7-Acylindoles

The gold-catalyzed C-H annulation of anthranil derivatives with alkynes offers a facile, flexible, and atom-economical one-step route to unprotected 7-acylindoles. An intermediate a-imino gold carbene, generated by an intermolecular reaction, promotes ortho-aryl C-H functionalization to afford the target products. The transformation proceeds with a broad range of substrates under mild conditions. Moreover, the obtained functionalized indole products represent a versatile platform for the construction of diverse indolyl frameworks.