Phenanthroline‑^tBuOK Promoted Intramolecular C–H Arylation of Indoles with ArI under Transition-Metal-Free Conditions

The first example of phenanthroline-^tBuOK promoted intramolecular radical C–H arylation of N-(2-iodobenzyl)­indoles without involvement of transition metals has been developed. A variety of substituted 6H-isoindolo [2, 1-a] indoles were prepared by a simple and efficient intramolecular cyclization using 1,10-phenanthroline in the presence of potassium tert-butoxide and chlorobenzene. This strategy provides a fast and versatile access to isoindolo­[2,1-a]­indole derivatives for the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and organic electroluminescent (EL) materials.