A convenient and an efficient protocol
for the assembly of diverse
xanthenes bearing a biologically interesting oxindole nucleus is developed
by utilizing the In(III)-catalyzed spiro coupling of 1,4-benzoquinones
or 1,4-naphthoquinones with oxindoles. This novel protocol proceeds
via a cascade of double Michael additions and intramolecular cyclization.
The synthesized compounds have potential use as fluorophores for the
selective imaging of heavy metals in living cells.