Endogenous alkaloids in man, VII: 1-trichloromethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-beta-carboline--a potential chloral-derived indol alkaloid in man.

The trichloromethyl tetrahydro-beta-carboline 5, an imaginable, chloral-derived mammalian indol "alkaloid", was prepared in high yields and was shown to be formed even under mild, physiological conditions, in aqueous medium. For its detection in low concentrations, a chromatographic procedure was elaborated. Furthermore, its potential metabolite 8 was synthesized for the first time.