Bischler-Möhlau Indole Synthesis

A. Bischler et al., Ber. 25, 2860 (1892); 26, 1336 (1893); R. Möhlau, ibid. 14, 171 (1881); 15, 2480 (1882); E. Fischer, T. Schmitt, ibid. 21, 1071 (1888).

Formation of 2-substituted indoles by heating ω-halogeno- or ω-hydroxy- ketones with excess aniline via cyclization of the intermediate 2-arylaminoketone:

P. L. Julian et al., Heterocyclic Compounds 3, 22 (1952); R. J. Sundberg, The Chemistry of Indoles (Academic Press, New York, 1970) p 164; R. K. Brown in The Chemistry of Heterocyclic Compounds, A. Weissberger, E. C. Taylor, Eds., Indoles, Part I, W. J. Houlihan, Ed. (Wiley, New York, 1972) p 317; J. R. Henry, J. H. Dodd, Tetrahedron Letters 38, 8763 (1998).