Interaction of (indol-3-yl)ethane-1,2-diol with L-ascorbic acid under
mild conditions yielded a mixture of products of the L-ascorbic acid 2
-C alkylation with the substituted skatyl cation stabilized by the 3-C
O hemiketal formation with the participation of the HOCH2 moiety of (i
ndol-3-yl)ethane-1,2-diol. Under the action of ethanolic HCl, tricycli
c ketals were formed. The stereochemical configuration of the compound
s was determined by NMR methods. (C) 1996 Published by Elsevier Scienc
e Ltd