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The rhodium(III)-catalyzed redox-neutral coupling reaction of N-acyl ketimines generated in situ from 3-hydroxyisoindolinones with various activated olefins is described. This approach leads to the synthesis of bioactive spiroisoindolinone derivatives in moderate to high yields. In the case of internal olefins such as maleimides, maleates, fumarates, and cinnamates, spiroindanes were obtained by the [3 + 2] annulations reaction. In sharp contrast, acrylates and quinones displayed the β-H elimination followed by Prins-type cyclization furnishing spiroindenes. The synthetic compounds were evaluated for in vitro anticancer activity against androgen-sensitive human prostate adenocarcinoma cells (LNCaP), human prostate adenocarcinoma cells (DU145), human endometrial adenocarcinoma cells (Ishikawa), human breast cancer cell (MCF-7), and triple negative human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231). Notably, quinone-containing spiroindenes displayed potent anticancer activity about 2- to 3-fold stronger than that of anticancer agent doxorubicin.

A novel and efficient method for the construction of the pyrazolo[5,1-a]isoindole scaffold via a one-pot three-component cascade reaction of 1-(2-bromophenyl)buta-2,3-dien-1-one with hydrazine and isocyanide promoted by a Pd catalyst is described. This cascade process proceeds through initial condensation of the allenic ketone with hydrazine followed by Pd-catalyzed isocyanide insertion into the C-Br bond and intramolecular C-N bond formation. Interestingly, when acetohydrazide was used in place of hydrazine, a more sophisticated procedure involving condensation, isocyanide insertion into C-H and C-Br bonds, deacetylation, and formation of C-C, C-O, and C-N bonds occurred to afford pyrazolo[5,1-a]isoindole-3-carboxamides with good efficiency.

Highly stereoselective intermolecular reactions of electron-deficient alkynes with N-hydroxyphthalimides for efficient construction of N-unprotected 3-methyleneisoindolin-1-ones have been developed through base catalytic strategies. The reaction of alkynoates with N-hydroxyphthalimides catalyzed by Bu3P in DMF at 150 °C gave the corresponding 3-methyleneisoindolin-1-ones with a (Z)-configuration, while the reaction of alkynoates with N-hydroxyphthalimides catalyzed by K2CO3 in DMF at 60 °C gave the corresponding 3-methyleneisoindolin-1-ones with an (E)-configuration, and (Z)-3-methyleneisoindolin-1-ones were obtained when alkyne ketones reacted with N-hydroxyphthalimide.

Copper(II) trifluoromethanesulfonate (Cu(OTf)2) efficiently catalyzes the C-C coupling of 3-hydoxyisoindolinones with a variety of aryl-, heteroaryl-, and alkenylboronic acids to furnish C(3) aryl-, heteroaryl-, and alkenyl-substituted isoindolinones. The coupling reactions work smoothly in 1,2-dicholoroethane (DCE) reflux, to effect both inter- and intramolecular versions. This is the first report on C(sp(3))-OH cleavage with concomitant C-C coupling. The photolabile 2-nitrobenzyl protecting group is most appropriate for promotion of the coupling reaction and for deprotection. The tetracyclic ring motif of the alkaloid neuvamine was prepared by applying the newly developed copper-catalyzed C-C coupling.

A flexible synthesis of dibenzo[e,g]isoindol-1-ones has been developed. Dibenzo[e,g]isoindol-1-ones represent simplified benzenoid analogues of biological indolo[2,3-a]pyrrolo[3,4-c]carbazol-5-ones (indolocarbazoles), compounds that have demonstrated a wide range of biological activity. The synthesis of the title compounds involved tetramic acid sulfonates. Different aryl groups were introduced at C4 of the heterocyclic ring via Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions. Finally, mild Scholl-type oxidative cyclizations mediated by phenyliodine(III) bis(trifluoroacetate) (PIFA) converted some of the latter compounds into the corresponding dibenzo[e,g]isoindol-1-ones. A systematic study of the oxidative cyclization revealed the following reactivity trend: 3,4-dimethoxyphenyl ≫ 3-methoxyphenyl > 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenyl > 4-methoxyphenyl ≈ phenyl. Overall, the oxidative cyclization required at least two methoxy groups distributed in the aromatic rings, at least one of which had to be located para to the site of the cyclization.

An I2-induced 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reaction has been developed for the synthesis of benzo[f]isoindole-1,3-dicarboxylates from quinones and N-substituted amino esters. The reaction proceeds in good to excellent yields in one step from 3 equiv of amino ester to react with the quinone structure. The utility of this transformation has been highlighted by its use for the construction of benzo[f]isoindole-1,3-dicarboxylates, which have been identified in natural products exhibiting important biological activities.

The synthesis of C-5-substituted resorcinol amide AT13387, a known Hsp90 inhibitor currently in clinical trials, is reported without the use of phenolic protection in an overall yield of 13.4%. Biomimetic aromatization and Suzuki-Miyaura cross coupling approach were employed to synthesize the resorcinol and iso-indoline units, respectively, which were efficiently coupled using Grignard-mediated amidation.

We report in this paper an interesting sequential reaction involving sequential Sonogashira coupling, propargyl-allenyl isomerization, [4 + 2] cycloaddition and aromatization reaction, which provides a facile method for the synthesis of a variety of polycyclic isoindoline derivatives from easily accessible starting materials.

Herein we describe a general three-step synthesis of 4-substituted chlorophthalazines in good overall yields. In the key step, N,N-dimethylaminophthalimide (8a) directs the selective monoaddition of alkyl, aryl, and heteroaryl organometallic reagents to afford 3-substituted 3-hydroxyisoindolinones 9b, 9i-9am. Many of these hydroxyisoindolinones are converted to chlorophthalazines 1b-1v via reaction with hydrazine, followed by chlorination with POCl(3). We have also discovered two novel transformations of 3-vinyl- and 3-alkynyl-3-hydroxyisoindolinones. Addition of vinyl organometallic reagents to N,N-dimethylaminophthalimide (8a) provided dihydrobenzoazepinediones 15a-15c via the proposed ring expansion of 3-vinyl-3-hydroxyisoindolinone intermediates. 3-Alkynyl-3-hydroxyisoindolinones react with hydrazine and substituted hydrazines to afford 2-pyrazolyl benzoic acids 16a-16d and 2-pyrazolyl benzohydrazides 17a-17g rather than the expected alkynyl phthalazinones., (© 2012 American Chemical Society)

The application of activated carbon (Darco KB) for the acceleration and direction of the transformation of various 2H-pyran-2-ones with N-substituted maleimides toward isoindole derivatives through the reaction sequence cycloaddition/elimination/dehydrogenation is described. In this reaction, the catalyst mainly influences the dehydrogenation step, which is essential to avoid the formation of bicyclo[2.2.2]octenes as the other possible products. We found that the combination of Darco KB, as the metal-free catalyst, and decalin, as the solvent in a closed vessel, represents the most successful conditions. A comparison of the effect of various dehydrogenation catalysts and reaction conditions is also presented. In addition, we have proven that the aromatization occurs via a hydrogen transfer from the cyclohexadiene intermediate to the maleimide derivative (therefore producing succinimides). This transfer is facilitated by the active surface of the heterogeneous carbon-based catalyst.

A highly efficient and accessible synthesis of chiral 3-substituted isoindolinone frameworks is described. The synthesis involved the Rh(I)-catalyzed asymmetric arylation of boronic acids to 2-halobenzaldimines and the subsequent Rh(I)-catalyzed intramolecular aminocarbonylation of the resulting 2-halobenzylamines using an aldehyde as the carbonyl source. The method tolerates a variety of functional groups, yielding isoindolinone derivatives in moderate to high yields with high ee-values. In addition, two Rh(I)-catalyzed transformations could be efficiently accomplished in a one-pot sequence to give chiral isoindolinones by the simple addition of a ligand and an aldehyde after the Rh(I)-catalyzed asymmetric arylation.

The synthesis and characterization of extended, conjugated molecules containing isoindolinone units was explored. Nucleophilic cyclizations between an amide and an alkyne were found to be an efficient method of producing the desired isoindolin-1-ones in high yields. A variety of derivatives were synthesized, demonstrating that a number of structural alterations could be made while maintaining good regio- and stereospecificity in the cyclized product.

Two efficient palladium-catalyzed intramolecular α-arylation reactions of α-amino acid esters have been developed that allow either 1-isoindolecarboxylic acid esters or the corresponding isoindolines to be selectively synthesized simply by a slight change of reaction conditions.

Enediyne-peptide conjugates are recently recognized as useful tools in targeting various proteins, while the mechanism underlying the observed activity remains somewhat unclear. Addressing these issues, we have prepared acyclic amino acid derived enediynes and disclosed a novel thermally induced cyclization-elimination pathway. Initial formation of 1,4-benzene diradical and H-atom abstraction from an external donor is followed by S(N)2 substitution leading to 2,3-dihydrobenzo[f]isoindoles. The proposed mechanism is supported by experimental and computational data. Additionally, we showed that amino acid side chains, although placed three bonds away from acetylene terminuses, have an appreciable influence on the reactivity of studied enediynes. These results demonstrate that amino acid or peptide parts of enediyne-peptide conjugates cannot be considered as recognition elements exclusively but may also participate in various reactions through amine functionality.

A ring-closing metathesis-based strategy has allowed access to an unreported pair of pyridoisoindolones and their previously unknown sultam counterparts. The synthetic routing takes advantage of the ready availability of N-allylphthalimide and N-allylsaccharin and proceeds via the proper incorporation of small side chains into the heterocyclic ring. Positionally selective introduction of the conjugated diene functionality was realized efficiently. Detailed study of the excited-state chemistry of 7 and 8 showed both lactams to be subject to [4 + 2] dimerization under acetone-sensitized conditions. Different regioselectivities are involved, with the response of 8 being far more efficient than that exhibited by 7. No dimers could be isolated from the photolyzates of 9 and 10 under any conditions. While the latter sultam undergoes extensive polymerization, 9 is transformed via direct irradiation at 350 nm into 46 and 47 via [1,3]-sigmatropy involving the S-N bond and heterocyclic ring cleavage, respectively.

A palladium-catalyzed three-component cascade process for the synthesis of isoindolone and phthalazone derivatives is reported. The cascade process involves carbonylation of an aryl iodide/Michael acceptor to give an acylpalladium species which is intercepted by a hydrazine nucleophile. Intramolecular Michael addition follows to give either N-aminoisoindolones or mono- N- and di-N,N'-phthalazones depending on whether a monosubstituted or 1,2-disubstituted hydrazine nucleophile is used.

A synthesis of benzo[f]isoindole-4,9-diones 1 is presented starting from the reaction of 2,3-bis(bromomethyl)-1,4-dimethoxynaphthalene 15 with primary amines affording 2,3-bis(aminomethyl)-1,4-dimethoxynaphthalenes 14, which could be converted by CAN-mediated oxidation in one step to benzo[f]isoindole-4,9-diones 1. An alternative synthesis of benzo[f]isoindole-4,9-diones 1 starts from 2,3-bis(bromomethyl)-1,4-naphthoquinone 9 via 2,3-dihydrobenzo[f]isoindoles 10 which spontaneously oxidize.

The palladium-catalyzed aminocarbonylation of o-halobenzoates produces 2-substituted isoindole-1,3-diones in good yields. This methodology provides a good one-step approach to this important class of heterocycles and tolerates a variety of functional groups, including methoxy, alcohol, ketone, and nitro groups.

Substituted 1,3-dihydro-2H-isoindoles (2, isoindolines) were prepared and subjected to palladium-catalyzed formate reduction. Alkyl isoindolines were reduced to 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-2H-isoindoles (1). Only partial reduction was observed for 5-methoxyisoindoline, and 4-methoxy-, 5-carbomethoxy-, amino-, and amidoisoindolines were inert to the reaction. Halogen-substituted isoindolines were dehalogenated and reduced to 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-2H-isoindoles. Isoindole 24 was also reduced to a mixture of an isoindoline and a 4,5,6,7-tetrahydro-2H-isoindole. In contrast, 2,3-dihydro-1H-indoles 21 underwent dehydrogenation to give thermodynamically stable indoles. Theoretical calculations show the significant difference in aromaticity between isoindoles and indoles, corresponding to the observed differences in reactivities. Tetrahydro-2H-isoindoles 1 were oxidized to 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoindole-1,3-diones in the presence of NBS and air.

Flash vacuum pyrolysis (FVP) of indol-1-ylacrylate derivatives 11 and 15 or the isomeric indol-3-ylacrylates 21, 22, and 24 at 925 degrees C (0.05 Torr) provides pyrrolo[1,2-a]indol-3-ones 2, 18, 28, and 29 in 53-90% yield by a cascade mechanism that involves a sigmatropic migration, elimination, electrocyclization sequence. Pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazol-5-ones 3 and pyrrolo[1,2-c]imidazol-5-ones 4 were similarly obtained by FVP of corresponding 2,5-unsubstituted imidazol-1-ylacrylates (e.g., 33), with the former isomer predominating in ca. 80:20 ratio. Migration to the 2-position is therefore favored in the initial sigmatropic shift. FVP of 2-substituted imidazol-1-ylacrylates 35, 37, and 51 (825-875 degrees C) instead give pyrrolo[1,2-c]imidazol-5-ones 56-58 only (88-91%), and that of 4,5-disubstituted imidazol-1-ylacrylates 39 and 41 (825-850 degrees C) provide pyrrolo[1,2-a]imidazol-5-ones 59 and 60 exclusively (93-95%), and thus the selectivity of the initial shift can be controlled by the presence of substituents on the imidazole 2- and 5-positions. FVP of the benzimidazole analogues 61 and 62 at 950 degrees C gave the pyrrolo[1,2-a]benzimidazol-1-ones 6 (71%) and 63 (36%), respectively.