One-pot two-step tandem reactions for selective synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines and dihydro-, tetrahydro-derivatives

A sequential one-pot two-step tandem reaction for selective and efficient synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline and its dihydro- and tetrahydro-derivatives has been developed. The tandem reactions of isoquinoline, α-halogenated methylene compounds, aromatic aldehydes, and cyanoacetamide firstly give tetrahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines as main products. The corresponding pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines and dihydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines can be obtained directly by controlling oxidation with DDQ. The mechanism of this tandem reaction involved the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of isoquinolinium ylide as the key step. A unique elimination of the amido group preferring to the cyano group has been observed.     

The synthesis of indolo- and pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines

The synthesis of fused isoquinolines from N-benzyl protected indoles and pyrroles is described. For example, treatment of t-butyl-2-(2-formyl-3,4-dihydro-1-naphthalenyl)-3-methyl-1H-indole-1-carboxylate with KOBu^t in DMF provided 14-methyl-8-phenylbenzo[h]indolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline in good yield. Analogous N-benzylpyrrole precursors could similarly be cyclized to give pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines.     

Indolopyridines containing a bridgehead heteroatom. 12. Synthesis and reduction of 12-arylidene-5,6-dihydroindolo[2,1-a]isoquinolinium trifluoroacetates

Condensation of 5,6-dihydroindolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline with aromatic aldehydes in trifluoroacetic acid afforded 12-arylidene-5,6-dihydroindolo[2,1-a]isoquinolinium trifluoroacetates. Hydrogenolysis of these salts on rhenium heptasulfide at elevated temperature and hydrogen pressure yielded indolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines, while reduction with sodium borohydride gave 12-arylmethylindoloisoquinolines. Photoluminescence was found for some indolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines.     

Synthesis of 2-spiro-(1,2-dihydroperimid-2-yl)-5,5-dialkyl-2,3,5,6-tetrahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]-isoquinolin-3-ones

2,3-Dioxpyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines react with 1,8-naphthalenediamine in 2-propanol in the presence of p-toluenesulfonic acid to give 2-spiro-(1,2-dihydroperimid-2-yl)-5,5-dialkyl-2,3,5,6-tetrahydro-pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolin-3-ones whose structure was confirmed by X-ray analysis. Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 12, pp. 1849–1854, December, 2008.     

Solvent-free reaction between acenaphthoquinone, various benzils and ammonium acetate: synthesis of 9,10-diaryl-7H-benzo[d,e]imidazo[2,1-a]isoquinolin-7-ones

A simple synthesis of benzo[d,e]imidazo[2,1-a]isoquinolines is described. Heating a mixture of acenaphthoquinone, a benzil, and ammonium acetate under solvent-free conditions afforded 9,10-diaryl-7H-benzo[d,e]imidazo[2,1-a]isoquinolin-7-ones in good to excellent yields.     

A new approach towards the synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines

Reaction of 5-bromo-2-methyl-8-nitro-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline with activated alkynes affords stable tetrahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolin-4-ium ylides. Further reactions of ylide 2 gives access to substituted dihydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines in good yields.     

Synthesis of benzoindoloquinolizines via a Cu(I)-mediated C–N bond formation

An effective synthesis of the multi ring-fused benzoindoloquinolizines has been accomplished by Cu(I)-mediated and MW-assisted C–N_amide bond formation of benzo[a]quinolizin-4-ones. The deamination of tetrahydro-2H-pyrido[2,1-a]isoquinolines was also studied and was found to give benzoquinolizines. The benzo[a]quinolizin-4-ones were prepared based on the annulations of C-1 substituted 3,4-dihydroisoquinolines and azlactones.     

Multicomponent reactions of pyridines, α-bromo carbonyl compounds and silylaryl triflates as aryne precursors: a facile one-pot synthesis of pyrido[2,1-a]isoindoles

Multicomponent reactions (MCRs) involving pyridines, α-bromo ketones, and silylaryl triflates as aryne precursors were investigated. The reactions could also be extended to isoquinoline or α-bromo ethyl acetate. Substituted pyrido[2,1-a]isoindoles or isoindolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines could be obtained from this routine, which may have potential applications in antitumor drugs and fluorescent material fields.     

New approaches to the synthesis of benzo[h]pyrroloisoquinoline derivatives

An effective strategy for the synthesis of benzo[h]pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline derivatives has been developed. The process can be described as a one-pot domino reaction that consists of an initial Michael addition, intramolecular cyclization, and subsequent transformations leading to the formation of the desired products. A wide range of structurally diverse hydrogenated benzo[h]pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines were obtained in 34–98% yield. This strategy represents an efficient catalyst-free procedure that allows the synthesis of previously inaccessible compounds.     

Rhodium-Catalyzed Oxidative Annulation of 2- or 7-Arylindoles with Alkenes/Alkynes Using Molecular Oxygen as the Sole Oxidant Enabled by Quaternary Ammonium Salt

Developing an efficient catalytic system using molecular oxygen as the oxidant for rhodium-catalyzed cross-dehydrogenative coupling remains highly desirable. Herein, rhodium-catalyzed oxidative annulation of 2- or 7-phenyl-1H-indoles with alkenes or alkynes to assemble valuable 6H-isoindolo[2,1-a]indoles, pyrrolo[3,2,1-de]phenanthridines, or indolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines using the atmospheric pressure of air as the sole oxidant enabled by quaternary ammonium salt has been accomplished. Mechanistic studies provided evidence for the fast intramolecular aza-Michael reaction and aerobic reoxidation of Rh(I)/Rh(III), facilitated by the addition of quaternary ammonium salt.     

Synthesis of pyrroloisoquinolines from papaverine

papaverine and its derivatives react with p-chlorophenacyl bromide to give the corresponding quaternary salts, which are converted into pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines by the action of bases.     

Facile three-component domino reactions in the regioselective synthesis and antimycobacterial evaluation of novel indolizines and pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines

The domino reactions of pyridine/isoquinoline, bromoacetonitrile/ethyl bromoacetate and a series of β-nitrostyrenes in the presence of triethylamine afforded novel tri-/disubstituted indolizines and pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines regioselectively, presumably via substitution-dipole generation-1,3-dipolar cycloaddition-elimination and/or aromatisation sequence. In vitro screening of all the seventeen compounds synthesized against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv discloses that ethyl 2-(4-fluorophenyl)pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline-3-carboxylate displays maximum potency with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 1.0 μM, being 7.6 and 4.7 times more potent than the standard first line TB drugs, ethambutol and ciprofloxacin, respectively.     

Synthesis of substituted benzimidazo[2,1-a]isoquinolines and its condensed analogues using Pd(0)-catalyzed cyclization/C-H activation

An efficient route for the synthesis of benzimidazo[2,1-a]isoquinolines and its condensed analogues has been developed via the palladium-catalyzed cyclization/C-H activation of N-allyl and N-methallyl derivatives of benzimidazoles.     

Synthesis of 2-(3-coumarinyl)pyrrolo[2,1-<Emphasis Type="Italic">a</Emphasis>]isoquinoline derivatives by the chichibabin reaction

2-(3-Coumarinyl)-5,5-dimethyl-5,6-dihydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines were synthesized by the Chichibabin reaction of 3,3-dimethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline with 3-bromoacetylcoumarin. Derivatives of benzo[f]isoquinoline and benzo[f]coumarin were obtained similarly.     

Synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines from activated acetylenes, benzoylnitromethanes, and isoquinoline

Isoquinoline reacts smoothly with aroylnitromethanes in the presence of dialkyl acetylenedicarboxylates and dibenzoylacetylene to produce pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines in good yields. Quinoline and benzothiazole also react in a similar way. Pyridine and N-methylimidazole catalyze the reaction between nitromethane derivatives with electron-deficient acetylenes to produce highly functionalized isoxazoles.     

Polarized ethylene. V. Synthesis of 1-substituted indolizine,pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine,and their related compounds using methoxyethylene derivatives

The reaction of pyridinium or isoquinolinium N-ylides with methoxy-substituted ethylenes gave the corresponding indolizine and pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline derivatives bearing acetyl, aroyl, cyano, ester group at the 1-position in one step. Pyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine, pyrazolo[1,5-a]quinoline, and pyrazolo[5,1-a]isoquinolines were also synthesized in good yields from the corresponding aromatic N-imines and methoxyethylene derivatives.     

Enantioselective intramolecular α-amidoalkylation reaction in the synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines

BINOL-derived chiral Brønsted acids are capable of carrying out the intramolecular α-amidoalkylation of a tertiary N-acyliminium ions when a methoxylated benzene ring is used as internal π nucleophile. The reaction can be applied to the synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines and use of the sterically congested acid 3e is determinant to obtain good levels of enantioselection.     

7,8,9,10-Tetrahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines in the search for new indolizine derivatives

7,8,9,10-Tetrahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines were obtained by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition reactions of their corresponding N-ylides with olefinic (acrylonitrile) and symmetrical or non-symmetrical acetylenic dipolarophiles (methyl/ethyl propiolate, dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate). Also, stable 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroisoquinolinium dicyanomethylide was isolated and characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis.     

The organocatalytic enantioselective [3+2] cycloaddition reaction of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes with azomethine ylides applied to the asymmetric synthesis of densely substituted pyrroloisoquinolines

The synthesis of densely functionalized pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines was accomplished using the organocatalytic [3+2] cycloaddition between enals and azomethine ylides under iminium catalysis developed in our group some years ago as the key step. The cycloaddition proceeds smoothly yielding the corresponding pyrrolidine as a single endo diastereoisomer with enantiopurity in the range of 94–96% and further manipulations of the obtained cycloadducts using high yielding reaction protocols and a final mesylation/intramolecular N-alkylation sequence allowed the synthesis of target compounds in which the integrity of all stereocenters installed during the first step is maintained.     

Copper-catalyzed tandem synthesis of [1,2,3]triazolo[5,1-a]isoquinolines and their transformation to 1,3-disubstituted isoquinolines

2-Azido-3-(2-iodophenyl)acrylates react with terminal alkynes in the presence of a copper(II) catalyst without ligands to give a wide range of [1,2,3]triazolo[5,1-a]isoquinolines in good yields. These compounds favor expulsion of N₂ in refluxed acetic acid to form 1,3-disubstituted isoquinolines. The procedure is simple, economical, and efficient.