Oxidative coupling of indoles using thallium(III) trifluoroacetate

The oxidative coupling of polysubstituted electron-rich indoles mediated by thallium trifluoroacetate was found to be a facile, clean, and high yielding reaction. Indolic coupling sites were determined by the nature of the substituents present, with dimerisation at the indole 2-position being the dominant outcome. Indoles bearing two potential reaction sites with similar reactivity were additionally found to undergo heterocoupling.