Direct Alkynylation of Indole and Pyrrole Heterocycles

Easy does it: The unique properties of benziodoxolone alkynyl periodinane 1 and gold catalysts have allowed the development of a high yielding, operationally simple (room temperature, no dry solvents or inert conditions, commercially available catalyst) reaction for the introduction of silylacetylenes on a large range of indole and pyrrole heterocycles with a wide range of functional groups (see scheme).