Preparation of Alkyl Indium Reagents by Iodine-Catalyzed Direct Indium Insertion and Their Applications in Cross-Coupling Reactions

An efficient method for the synthesis of alkyl indium reagent by means of an iodine-catalyzed direct indium insertion into alkyl iodide in THF is reported. The thus-generated alkyl indium reagents effectively underwent Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions with various aryl halides, exhibiting good compatibility to a variety of sensitive functional groups. By replacing THF with DMA and using 0.75 equiv of iodine, less reactive alkyl bromide could be used as substrate for indium insertion with equal ease.