The Reissert indole synthesis is a series of chemical reactions designed to synthesize indole or substituted-indoles (4 and 5) from ortho-nitrotoluene 1 and diethyl oxalate 2.
Potassium ethoxide has been shown to give better results than sodium ethoxide.
Reaction mechanism The first step of the synthesis is the condensation of o-nitrotoluene 1 with a diethyl oxalate 2 to give ethyl o-nitrophenylpyruvate 3. The reductive cyclization of 3 with zinc in acetic acid gives indole-2-carboxylic acid 4. If desired, 4 can be decarboxylated with heat to give indole 5.
Variations
Butin modification In an intramolecular version of the Reissert reaction, a furan ring-opening provides the carbonyl necessary for cyclization to form an indole. A ketone side chain is present in the final product, allowing further modifications.
See also Leimgruber-Batcho indole synthesis
References