A facile preparation of arylmethyl and heteroarylmethyl phosphonate esters was achieved involving a Lewis acid mediated Michaelis-Arbuzov reaction at room temperature. Interaction of arylmethyl halides/alcohols with triethyl phosphite in the presence of Lewis acid at room temperature afforded phosphonate esters in good yields.

A synthesis of staurosporine aglycon and its analogs was achieved in a 28-36% overall yield starting from 2-methylindole. The prominent key steps for the synthesis of the indolocarbazole alkaloids involved electrocyclization and nitrene insertion reactions.

Synthesis of indolocarbazoles was achieved through thermal electrocyclization followed by triethyl phosphite‐mediated nitrene insertion reactions. Total synthesis of staurosporinone analogues was achieved from commercially available 2‐methylindole. The CDK5/p25 kinase inhibition potential of some representative staurosporinone analogues was explored by using the TRFRET kinase assay.

A facile preparation of trans‐epoxides was achieved by a (EtO)3P–ZnBr2‐mediated deoxygenation reaction of the corresponding 2‐nitrobenzaldehydes. The sterically hindered analogues of 2‐nitrobenzaldehyde underwent a reaction with triethyl phosphite in the presence of ZnBr2 as the catalyst to form benzisoxazoles as the sole product. Under identical conditions, the reactions of electron‐rich as well as moderately electron‐deficient aryl aldehydes furnished the corresponding α‐hydroxy phosphonate esters.

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