Triphenylphosphine/1,2-Diiodoethane-Promoted Formylation of Indoles with N,N-Dimethylformamide

Abstract Despite intensive studies on the synthesis of 3-formylindoles, it is still highly desirable to develop efficient methods for the formylation of indoles, due to the shortcomings of the reported methods, such as inconvenient operations and/or harsh reaction conditions. Here, we describe a Ph3P/ICH2CH2I-promoted formylation of indoles with DMF under mild conditions. A Vilsmeier-type intermediate is readily formed from DMF promoted by the Ph3P/ICH2CH2I system. A one-step formylation process can be applied to various electron-rich indoles, but a hydrolysis needs to be carried out as a second step in the case of electron-deficient indoles. Convenient operations make this protocol attractive.