A variety of 3-substituted β-and γ-carbolines have been synthesized from N-substituted 3- iodoindole-2-carboxaldehydes and 2-bromoindole-3-carboxaldehydes, respectively. The coupling of these aldehydes with various terminal acetylenes with PdCl2 (PPh3) 2/CuI as the catalyst readily affords the corresponding alkynylindole carboxaldehydes, which have subsequently been converted to the corresponding tert-butylimines and cyclized to β-and ...