Abstract The spectroscopic characterization of the new potent tubulin inhibitor 2-[1-(4- chlorobenzyl)-1H-indol-3-yl]-2-oxo-N-pyridin-4-yl acetamide (D-24851)(7), which is under preclinical development, is described. The synthesis was optimized and follows a straightforward route from the unsubstituted indole via the 1-(4-chlorobenzyl)-indole (3) and the indol-3-yl-2-oxo-acetyl chloride (5) to the indol-3-yl-2-oxo acetamide product. The ...