Ni(ii) catalysed dehydrogenative coupling of alcohols with indoles: access to bis(indolyl)methanes.

Herein, we report a structurally characterized octahedral Ni(ii) complex as an efficient catalyst (3 mol%) for the synthesis of bis(indolyl)methanes (BIMs) via a dehydrogenative coupling strategy. This protocol converts alcohols and indoles into substituted BIMs (54-91% yield) under mild conditions with H2 and H2O as the only byproducts. Mechanistic insights from control experiments are also discussed.