Our work in the area of synthesis of tris indole compounds as a potential chelator led to the synthesis and crystallization of ethyl 1H-indole-2-carboxylate, C11H11NO2, an indole that was synthesized by the thionyl chloride reaction of 1H-indole-2-carboxylic acid, followed by dissolution in ethanol. The molecular packing exhibits a herringbone pattern with the zigzag running along the b-axis direction; the compound crystallizes as a hydrogen-bonded dimer resulting from O...H—N hydrogen bonds, between the indole N—H group and the keto oxygen atom, which build centrosymmetric R22(10) ring motifs in the crystal.
