A facile synthesis of novel pyrrolo[3,4-b]quinolin-1-one derivatives

A simple and concise construction of a series of new quinoline-based isoindolin-l-ones, namely N-substituted-2,3-dihydro-1H-pyrrolo[3,4-b]quinolin-1-ones, wherein the benzene moiety of isoindolin-l-one is replaced by a quinoline ring has been achieved via a two-step procedure, involving the one-step synthesis of ethyl 2-chloromethyl-quinoline-3-carboxylate followed by its one-pot reaction with various amines in a refluxing EtOH–AcOH (v/v, 10:1) solvent system. These newly synthesized compounds could be good candidates for the development of lead compounds for use in medicinal chemistry.