2-Alkyl-27/-isoindoles, synthesis

Elimination from A -oxides of substituted isoindolines provides an exceptionally facile synthesis of the isoindole sy.stem. Kreher and Seubert found that treatment of the oxides of both 2-alkyl- and 2-arylisoindolines with acetic anhydride at 0° to —10° afforded... 

This microwave-accelerated double alkylation reaction was applicable to a variety of aniline derivatives and dihalides, furnishing N-aryl azacycloalkanes in good to excellent yields [89]. The reaction was applicable to alkyl chlorides, bromides and iodides and was extended to include hydrazines [90]. This improved synthetic methodology provided a simple and straightforward one-pot approach to the synthesis of a variety of heterocycles such as substituted azetidines, pyrrolidines, piperidines, azepanes, N-substituted-2,3-dihydro-Iff-isoindoles, 4,5-dihydro-pyrazoles, pyrazolidines, and 1,2-dihydro-phthalazines [91]. The mild reaction conditions tolerated a variety of functional groups such as hydroxyls, carbonyls, and esters. 

The completion of the synthesis of aspidospeimidine relied on a protocol introduced by Heathcock [72] for annulating the E-ring to the ABCD-framework of 228. Thus, as shown in Scheme 23, acylation of target compound 242 with a-chloroacetyl chloride followed by a Finkelstein reaction afforded the a-iodoacetamide 243 that upon treatment with silver triflate effected an intramolecular alkylation reaction and the formation of the isoindole-based lactam 244. Finally, reduction of this last compound with hthium aluminium hydride gave the racemic modification of aspidospermidine (228) (32%). 

Category Ilae cyclizations play a prominent role in the synthesis of isoindoles. Simple 2-alkyl-2/f-isoindoles can be prepared from l,2-bis-(bromomethyl)benzene via dihydroisoindole-A(-oxides. The oxides undergo Polonovsky elimination in acetic anhydride/triethylamine <88CZ85>. A similar reaction sequence can be applied to the synthesis of 2-aryl analogs (Scheme 72) <87CZI55>. 

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