Cu-Catalyzed Radical Addition and Oxidation Cascade: Unsymmetrical Trimerization of Indole to Access Isotriazatruxene

Herein we describe a Cu-catalyzed radical addition and oxidation cascade reaction for the chemo/regioselective synthesis of unsymmetrical indole trimers (isotriazatruxenes, i-TATs) from easily available starting materials. The i-TATs exhibited blue fluorescence in various solvents with different fluorescence intensities and showed good structural expansibility. A wider range of products could be used in optoelectronic materials by developing suitable derivatives.