Iodoethane → Methyl 1-ethylindole-3-carboxylate

Participants

Reaction Steps

A flask was charged with 1H-indole-3-carboxylic acid methyl ester (2 g, 11.41 mmol) and iodoethane (4.4 g, 28.5 mmol) in dry THF (25 mL). The mixture was stirred in a water bath and a 60% dispersion of sodium hydride (0.68 g, 17.12 mmol) in mineral oil was added in portions over 5 minutes. The reaction stirred for 48 hours and was quenched by careful addition of water. The mixture was extracted with dichloromethane (2×100 mL), dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated under reduced pressure. The crude product was purified by silica flash chromatography (10% ethyl acetate/heptane) to give 1-ethyl-1H-indole-3-carboxylic acid methyl ester (1.8 g). 1H NMR [CDCl3]: δ 8.22-8.15 (m, 1H), 7.87 (s, 1H), 7.42-7.33 (m, 1H), 7.31-7.25 (m, 2H), 4.22 (q, 2H), 3.92 (s, 3H), 1.52 (t, 3H).

Provenance & Evidence