Synthesis of Amide-Containing Indolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline Derivatives via Palladium-Catalyzed Cascade Reactions.

A convenient palladium-catalyzed cascade cyclization reaction for the construction of amide-containing indolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines from 2-aryl-N-propenyl indoles with aromatic amines and chloroform is described. A variety of amide-containing indolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline compounds have been successfully synthesized in moderate to good yields in which chloroform is employed as the source of CO.