Regioselective ortho alkylation of nitro indole, carbazole, benzothiophene and benzofuran

Substituted indoles, carbazoles, benzothiophenes and benzofurans are important motifs in the pharmaceutical industry. Herein we report a novel, regioselective method to introduce alkyl substituents into position ortho of nitro groups by the addition of a Grignard reagent followed by subsequent oxidation with DDQ.