A Versatile Synthesis of 3-Substituted Indoles

Abstract
A variety of 3-substituted indoles are prepared from 1-methyl-3-(benzotriazol-1-ylalkyl)indoles (1), which are readily available either from the condensation of 3-methylindole with N-(benzotriazol-1-ylalkyl)carbamates or from the alkylation and silylation of lithiated 1-methyl-3-(benzotriazol-1-ylmethyl)indole (2).