Phosphorus halides, reaction with indole

In one paper [112] on phosphorylated indoles phosphorus oxychloride was used in reaction with indolylmagnesium halides (Id) for the synthesis of tris(3-indolyl)phosphine oxide 118 ... 

The synthetic utility of many of the substitution reactions described so far is limited because there are well-established thermal routes to the same products. However, a third group of photochemical nucleophilic substitutions involves aryl halides and nucleophiles based on sulfur, phosphorus or, of particular importance, carbon. Two examples are the reaction of bromobenzene with the anion of t-butyl methyl ketone 13.12), and the replacement of bromine by cyanomethyl in 2-bromopyridine (3.13). This type of reaction offers a clear advantage over lengthy thermal alternatives, and intramolecular versions have been used in the synthesis of indoles (e.g. 3.14) or benzofurans from o-iodoaniline or o-iodoanisole respectively. 

The iV-propargylaminophosphines (78) readily rearrange to give the azabuta-dienylphosphine (79) via intramolecular nucleophilic attack of phosphorus at the terminal acetylenic carbon. Full details have now appeared of the reactions of 2 -1,2,3-diazaphosphole derivatives (80) with alkyl halides, giving 2,3-disub-stituted indoles as the major product. Several examples of the attack of phosphines at carbon of a, -unsaturated carbonyl compounds have been described. The betaine (81) is the active intermediate in the triphenylphosphine-induced polymerization of maleic anhydride. Phosphines also catalyse the... 

---