Synthesis of novel indolo[2,3-c]quinolinones via Ugi-4CR/palladium-catalyzed arylation

In this letter, an expedient method was developed for the construction of novel indolo[2,3-c]quinolinone derivatives via palladium-catalyzed arylation of Ugi adducts obtained from the reaction of indole-2-carboxylic acid, various aromatic aldehydes, 2-bromoanilines, and isocyanides. The reaction proceeded efficiently with various starting materials to produce the indoloquinolinone scaffolds in good yields.