A one-pot synthesis of 2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-c]quinolines

A one-pot synthesis of the 2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-c]quinoline core from substituted 2-iodoanilines and 2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrole was achieved using 10 mol % Pd(PPh3)4, and K2CO3 in 1,4-dioxane at 170 °C for 1 h in a microwave oven. This reaction can be carried out on a gram scale. The proposed mechanism involves a Heck-coupling reaction followed by intra-molecular Schiff base formation and double bond migration.