PREPARATION OF INDOLE COMPOUND

PURPOSE:To prepare the titled compound useful as a raw material of perfume, dye, alkaloid, etc., economically, in an industrial scale, in high yield, by contacting an aniline compound with ethylene glycol using a material containing cadmium chloride as a catalyst. CONSTITUTION:An aniline compound is made to react with ethylene glycol in the presence of a catalyst containing cadmium chloride, preferably in vapor phase, at 250-450 deg.C, especially at 300-400 deg.C to obtain the objective compound. The aniline compound used as the raw material is preferably the compound of formula (R is H, alkyl, alkoxy, halogen, etc.; R is H or alkyl). The amount of the ethylene glycol introduced into the reactor is 0.01-10 moles, preferably 0.05-5mol per 1mol of the aniline compound. The catalyst is prepared usually by dehydrating and drying cadmium chloride having water of crystallization.