Palladium–copper-cocatalyzed intramolecular oxidative coupling: an efficient and atom-economical strategy for the synthesis of 3-acylindoles

A new and efficient catalytic approach to the synthesis of 3-acylindoles under Pd-Cu-cocatalyzed oxidative conditions is demonstrated. tert-Butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP) acts not only as the oxidant, but also as an oxygen source in the approach. The process allows quick and atom-economical assembly of 3-acylindoles from readily available starting materials and tolerates a broad range of functional groups.