Palladium‐Catalyzed Carbonylative Transformation for the Synthesis of Tetracyclic Indoline Thioesters

Palladium‐catalyzed thioesterification of (aza)indole‐tethered aryl iodides, Mo(CO)6, and sulfonyl chlorides is reported. A series of C2 thioester‐group substituted indoline‐fused ring compounds are constructed by an intramolecular Heck cyclization and carbonylation chemistry involving N‐(2‐iodobenzoyl)indole. The salient features of this three‐component cascade sequence include the use of solid Mo(CO)6 as the carbon monoxide source and good functional group tolerance.