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clear yellow to red-brown liquid

7-Ethylindole is a useful intermediate for etodolac derivative synthesis. It is also used in preparation of benzoheterocycles using butoxy-dihydrofurans as [4+2] benzannulation reagents.

7-Ethylindole serves as a crucial intermediate for producing pharmaceutical agents. It represents a new addition to the liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) family, known as 7-ethylindole (7-EID). With a low melting point of -14 °C and a substantial hydrogen content of 5.23 wt%, it stands out among its counterparts. The hydrogenation process of this compound utilized a commercial 5 wt% Ru/Al2O3 catalyst under H2 pressure ranging from 5–8 MPa and temperatures ranging from 120–160 °C. It was observed that the hydrogenation rate correlates positively with the reaction temperature. However, the effect of H2 pressure on the rate was minimal if the pressure exceeded 6 MPa. Complete dehydrogenation of 8H-7-EID to 7-EID was achieved within 270 minutes at 190 °C. The liberated H2 exhibited high purity, meeting the requirements of proton exchange membrane fuel cells[1].

[1] Zhiwen Chen. “7-ethylindole: A new efficient liquid organic hydrogen carrier with fast kinetics.” International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 43 28 (2018): Pages 12688-12696.