Sodium Hydroxide → 2-methyl-5-(methylthio)-1H-indole

Participants

Reaction Steps

To a solution of 1-benzenesulfonyl-2-methyl-5-methylsulfanyl-1H-indole (156 mg, 0.49 mmol) in 10 mL of ethanol was added 10 mL of 10% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. The mixture was warmed at reflux for 18 hours. The mixture was then diluted with 10 mL of brine and extracted with three 20 mL portions of ethyl acetate. The combined organic layers were washed with two 10 mL portions of 10% aqueous sodium hydroxide solution, two 20 mL portions of saturated aqueous ammonium chloride, two 20 mL portions of brine, dried over magnesium sulfate, filtered, and concentrated in vacuo. The crude product was adsorbed onto silica gel and chromatographed on silica gel using ethyl acetate-hexanes (1:99, then 2:98, then 3:97, then 5:96) to afford 62 mg (71.2% yield) of 2-methyl-5-methylsulfanyl-1H-indole.

Provenance & Evidence