A series of novel α-carboline derivatives such as 3-aryl-9H-pyrido[2,3-b]indole-6-sulfonamides have been synthesized from the readily available low-cost raw material, benzotriazole which is subjected to nucleophilic aromatic substitution with 5-bromo-2-chloropyridine followed by sequential steps of cyclization, sulfonation, amidation, and finally Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reactions. The C–C bond formation between 3-bromo-9H-pyrido[2.3-b]indole-6-sulfonamide and various boronic acids was achieved with more accessible palladium pre-catalyst, Pd-PEPPSI-IPr via Suzuki coupling under microwave condition in a short reaction time with excellent yields. © 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.