Cupric acetate catalysed alkylation of indoles inwater:Acomparative study between conventional heating andmicrowave irradiation

C.Kathing, S.Tumtin, N.G.Singh

Abstract

Agreen and facilemethod for the synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes (BIMS) and Michael addition of indoles to á-â-unsaturated carbonyl compounds using cupric acetate in water as the catalytic medium is reported. The substitution of indoles occurred exclusively at C-3 and products of Nalkylation have not been observed. In case of C-3 substituted indoles, reactions occur at the C-2. The catalytic medium can be reused upto 3 times without losing its activity. A Comparative study between conventional and microwave heating is also reported.