Diels-Alder-type isoindole

Benzo[Z)]furans and indoles do not take part in Diels-Alder reactions but 2-vinyl-benzo[Z)]furan and 2- and 3-vinylindoles give adducts involving the exocyclic double bond. In contrast, the benzo[c]-fused heterocycles function as highly reactive dienes in [4 + 2] cycloaddition reactions. Thus benzo[c]furan, isoindole (benzo[c]pyrrole) and benzo[c]thiophene all yield Diels-Alder adducts (137) with maleic anhydride. Adducts of this type are used to characterize these unstable molecules and in a similar way benzo[c]selenophene, which polymerizes on attempted isolation, was characterized by formation of an adduct with tetracyanoethylene (76JA867). 

A useful and possibly more general alternative to the Lwowski synthesis27,37 of 1.3-diphenyl isoindoles involves condensation of a l,2-dibenzoyl-l,4-cyclohexadiene (e.g., 55) with ammonia or a primary amine.43 Cyclohexadiene derivatives of this type are easily prepared by Diels-Alder addition of a 1,3-diene to dibenzoylacetylene,44,45 and these adducts lead directly, and in high yield, to the corresponding isoindoles (56). The reaction is closely related to the well-known synthesis of pyrroles by condensation of 1,4-diketones with ammonia. 4,7-Dihydro- and 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoindoles (57 and 58) have been... 

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