Al-MCM-41 as a mild and ecofriendly catalyst for Michael addition of indole to α,β-unsaturated ketones

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Mesoporous Al-MCM-41 catalyzes the chemoselective Michael addition reaction between indoles and α,β-unsaturated ketones to afford β-indolylketones at room temperature with excellent yields. The higher catalytic activity is attributed to Lewis acidic Al and the large surface area. The catalyst is readily recovered and reused more than six times without loss in its catalytic activity. The substitution at the indole nucleus occurs exclusively at the 3-position and N-alkylation products are not observed.