Brønsted Acid Catalyzed One-Pot Benzannulation of 2-Alkenylindoles under Aerial Oxidation: A Route to Carbazoles and Indolo[2,3-a]carbazole Alkaloids

A one-pot, protecting-group-free benzannulation of 2-alkenylindoles with readily available 1,3-dicarbonyls is demonstrated to construct structurally diverse carbazoles. The use of a cheap Brønsted acid catalyst and air as the sole oxidant exemplifies the economic viability of this protocol. The execution of four different reactions successively to generate the medicinally important indolocarbazole core is also achieved. This one-pot protecting-group-free method paved the way for the total synthesis of three medicinally important alkaloids, namely staurosporinone, arcyriaflavin A, and 7-hydroxy-K252c.