Annulation of Indole-2-Carboxamides with Bicycloalkenes Catalyzed by Ru(II) at Room Temperature: An Easy Access to β-Carboline-1-one Derivatives under Mild Conditions.

Herein, we report the annulation of indole-2-carboxamides with bicycloalkenes, to synthesize β-carboline-1-one derivatives under mild conditions. The commercially available ruthenium catalyst was used for the reaction. This reaction tolerates a wide range of functional groups and affords a good yield of β-carboline-1-one derivatives. A reversible cyclometalation pathway was found to be operative in the mechanistic study.