Catalytic Tandem Friedel-Crafts Alkylation/C4-C3 Ring-Contraction Reaction: An Efficient Route for the Synthesis of Indolyl Cyclopropanecarbaldehydes and Ketones.

A general strategy for the synthesis of indolyl cyclopropanecarbaldehydes and ketones via a Brønsted acid-catalyzed indole nucleophilic addition/ring-contraction reaction sequence has been exploited. The procedure leads to a wide panel of cyclopropyl carbonyl compounds in generally high yields with a broad substrate scope.