Bronsted Acid-Catalyzed Regioselective Carboxamidation of 2-Indolylmethanols with Isonitriles

A regioselective direct carboxamidation reaction of 2-indolylmethanols with readily available isocyanoesters/isocyanides has been reported in this work. The reaction was catalyzed by Bronsted acid such as p-TsOH to deliver the benzylic regioselective amides in 67-86% yield under mild conditions. The developed methodology provides alternative access to traditional metal-free carboxamidation via C-C and C-O bond formation with high atom economy. Furthermore, the developed approach was diversified to synthesize chiral indole-2-carboxamide derivatives with a moderate enantiomeric excess (61-73% ee) using an (R)-chiral phosphoric acid.