Front Cover: Synthesis of 3‐(Trifluoromethyl)indoles by Oxidative Cyclization of o ‐Sulfonamido‐α‐(trifluoromethyl)styrenes (Asian J. Org. Chem. 5/2019)

3‐(Trifluoromethyl)indoles were successfully synthesized via oxidative cyclization through intramolecular C−H/N−H coupling reactions of α‐(trifluoromethyl)styrenes bearing a sulfonamido group at the ortho ‐position, which were promoted by cerium(IV) ammonium nitrate (CAN). This reaction proceeds via a radical 5‐ endo‐trig cyclization involving two sets of Ce‐mediated one‐electron oxidation followed by deprotonation. This protocol uses a relatively cheap fluorine‐containing compound (CF 3 CBr=CH 2 ) as a starting material and allows the installation of an indole framework and a trifluoromethyl group. More information can be found in the Communication by Junji Ichikawa et al. on page 637 in Issue 5, 2019 (DOI: 10.1002/ajoc.201900061).