Preparation of functionalized organoindium reagents by means of magnesium insertion into organic halides in the presence of InCl3 at room temperature.

Magnesium, indium, palladium: An efficient one-pot procedure for the direct preparation of triorganoindium reagents from organic halides by means of magnesium insertion in the presence of InCl(3) and LiCl is reported (see scheme). The organoindium reagents are obtained in good yields from functionalized aryl, heteroaryl, and alkyl bromides and benzyl chlorides at 25 °C in THF within 4 h. Moreover, the resulting organoindium reagents could be efficiently used as reagents in Pd-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions with a wide functional group tolerance.