A mixture of the 3-(N-benzyloxycarbonylpyrrolidin-2-ylmethyl)-1H-indole or the 3-(N-benzyloxycarbonylpiperid-2-ylmethyl)-1H-indole (2.00 mmol), 10% palladium on carbon (0.20 g), and ammonium formate (1.26 g, 20 mmol, 10 eq) in absolute ethanol (15 mL) was stirred under a nitrogen atmosphere for 4 hours. The resulting reaction mixture was filtered through diatomaceous earth, and the filtrate was evaporated under reduced pressure. The residue was column chromatographed using silica gel (approximately 50 g) and elution with a solution of methylene chloride: methanol: ammonium hydroxide [8:2:0.2] or other appropriate solvent system to afford the corresponding 3-(pyrrolidin-2-ylmethyl)-1H-indole or 3-(piperid-2-ylmethyl)-1H-indole.
