Indole-based platforms for catalytic access to molecular complexity

Indole derivatives are a privileged scaffold in organic synthesis due to their prevalence in bioactive compounds and their versatile reactivity.[1] Their structural diversity makes them valuable platforms for the development of catalytic strategies toward complex molecular architectures.[2] This contribution presents our work on indole-based platforms, where simple substrates are designed to display tunable reactivity and undergo catalytic transformations. Their functionalization through gold catalysis[3] and photochemical approaches,[4] enables efficient access to structurally complex molecules under mild conditions. Overall, this work highlights the use of designed indole platforms as entry points to molecular complexity via complementary catalytic methods.