Manganese catalyzed cross-coupling of allylic alcohols and indoles: an elegant route for access to γ-hydroxyindole

Alcohol and indole derivatives are widely recognized as versatile building blocks in both chemical and biochemical synthesis. The formal conjugate addition between these two classes of compounds provides a powerful and sustainable strategy for constructing γ-hydroxyindoles, owing to the reaction's 100% atom economy and the ready availability of starting materials. In this study, we report a redox-neutral cross-coupling reaction between indoles and allylic alcohols, catalyzed by a manganese(i) pincer complex, which enables the efficient synthesis of a broad range of γ-hydroxyindoles under mild conditions. The reaction featured broad substrate scope with good functional tolerance under simple conditions (24 examples, 60-83% yields).