Abstract: The total synthesis of the unique sulfur-containing antibiotic indole alkaloid chuangxinmycin is described. This compound, first isolated by Chinese chemists at the Institute of Materia Medica, was assembled from 2, 6-dinitrotoluene by a scheme that combines the nitro group displacement reaction with the Leimgruter indole synthesis to produce a 4-sulfur-substituted indole. Further transformations involving acetylation of the ...