title: X-ray characterization of an electron donor-acceptor complex that drives the photochemical alkylation of indoles.
abstract: A metal-free, photochemical strategy for the direct alkylation of indoles was developed. The reaction, which occurs at ambient temperature, is driven by the photochemical activity of electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complexes, generated upon association of substituted 1H-indoles with electron-accepting benzyl and phenacyl bromides. Significant mechanistic insights are provided by the X-ray single-crystal analysis of an EDA complex relevant to the photoalkylation and the determination of the quantum yield (Φ) of the process.
authors.affiliation: ICIQ-Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia, Avenida Països Catalans 16, 43007 Tarragona (Spain) http://www.iciq.org/research/research_group/prof-paolo-melchiorre/
authors.forename: Sandeep R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Kandukuri
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bahamonde
authors.forename: Indranil
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chatterjee
authors.forename: Igor D
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Jurberg
authors.forename: Eduardo C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Escudero-Adán
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Melchiorre
keywords: alkylation; indoles; photochemistry; radicals; synthetic methods