Indium Reagents in Heterocyclic Chemistry

Indium due to its moderate heterophilicity and recyclability plays significant role in indium catalyzed / mediated reactions of heterocycles. The co-ordination of hetero atom of the heterocycle with indium and the electronic contributions of heteroatoms in the ring provide more versatility in comparison to acyclic and carbocyclic systems. Here, the applications of indium reagents in heterocyclic chemistry have been reviewed. The review discusses the applications of indium salts - both inorganic and organometallics in the transformations of three, four, five and six membered heterocycles; synthesis of heterocycles through cycloaddition, cyclocondensation reactions, intramolecular cyclization, cascade reaction and heterocyclic modifications on the ring or on the appendage etc.