Abstract Highly reactive titanium on graphite is used to reductively cyclize electron-rich acylamino carbonyl compounds 7, 8, 12, 14, and 16 to the corresponding indole derivatives 9, 10, 13, 15, and 17. Compound 9b is a known precursor of the mammary tumor-inhibiting compound zindoxifene (2). The other products are new analogues of this anticancer drug, exhibiting the substitution pattern previously recognized to be essential for high ...