In this paper,quantum chemical methods are used to analyze and calculate the molecular structure,charge distribution and orbital energy of three indoles and their lipid derivatives:indole,indole acetic acid methyl ester and indole acetic acid ethyl ester,to analyze and summarize the changing rule of intermolecular forces between Fe atoms and different indoles and their lipid derivatives;and further to evaluate the corrosion inhibition performance by using surface analysis methods.The results show that the corrosion inhibition effect:indole>ethyl indoleacetate>methyl indoleacetate,which provides data support for the future development of indole-based corrosion inhibitors.