Synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted-3-cyanoindoles

An efficient synthesis of 2,5-disubstituted-3-cyanoindoles is described. This approach utilizes a highly selective iodination together with the modified Madelung reaction to generate an intermediate which can be readily transformed to more fully elaborated 2,5-disubstituted-3-cyanoindole templates that were previously difficult to access. Detailed examples and utility of this approach are presented herein.