A metal‐free, photoinduced aerobic tandem amine dehydrogenation/Povarov cyclization/aromatization reaction between N‐aryl glycine esters and indoles leads to tetracyclic 11H‐indolo[3,2‐c]quinolines under mild conditions and with high yields. The reaction can be performed by using molecular iodine along with visible light, or by combining an organic photoredox catalyst with a halide anion. Mechanistic studies reveal that product formation occurs through a combination of radical‐mediated oxidation steps with an iminium ion or N‐haloiminium ion [4+2]‐cycloaddition, and the N‐heterocyclic products constitute new analogues of the antiplasmodial natural alkaloid isocryptolepine.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.