Indole- and Pyrrole-BX: Bench-Stable Hypervalent Iodine Reagents for Heterocycle Umpolung

The one-step synthesis of the bench-stable hypervalent iodine reagents IndoleBX and PyrroleBX using mild Lewis acid catalyzed conditions is reported. The new reagents are stable up to 150 degrees C and were applied in the C-H arylation of unactivated arenes using either rhodium or ruthenium catalysts. A broad range of heterocyclic systems of high interest for synthetic and medicinal chemistry was accessed in high yields. The developed C-H functionalization could not be achieved using reported reagents or methods, highlighting the unique reactivity of Indole- and Pyrrole-BX.