Isoquinoline electrophilic substitution

True electrophilic substitution is very difficult in pyridopyridazines. For example, the [3,4-d] parent (286) is inert to hot 65% oleum (68AJC1291), and although formation of a 3-bromo derivative (308) was reported in the [2,3-d] series, it seems to have arisen by an addition-elimination reaction via the dibromide (309) (69AJC1745). Attempted chlorination led to ring opening. A similar effect was observed in the [3,4-d] system, where an 8-bromo derivative was obtained (77BSF665), and in iV-oxides of the pyrido[2,3-c]pyridazine and fused pyridazino[3,4-c]isoquinoline series (72JHC351). The formation of (311) from (310)... 

The chemistry of these polycyclic heterocycles is just what you miglu expect from a knowledge of the simpler heterocycles pyridine and pyrrole Quinoline and isoquinoline both have basic, pyridine-like nitrogen atoms, anc both undergo electrophilic substitutions, although less easily than benzene Reaction occurs on the benzene ring rather than on the pyridine ring, and r mixture of substitution products is obtained. 

Like simple aryl halides, furyl halides take part in Suzuki couplings as electrophiles [41, 42]. Young and Martin coupled 2-bromofuran with 5-indolylboronic acid to prepare 5-substituted indole 37 [43]. Terashima s group cross-coupled 3-bromofuran with diethyl-(4-isoquinolyl)borane 38 to make 4-substituted isoquinoline 39 [44]. Similarly, 2- and 3-substituted isoquinolines were also synthesized in the same fashion [45]. 

A striking demonstration of the reduced activity towards electrophiles for the pyridine ring compared with the benzene ring will be seen later when we consider the fused heterocycles quinoline and isoquinoline (see Section 11.8.1). These contain a benzene ring fused to a pyridine ring electrophilic substitution occurs exclusively in the benzene ring. 

Isoquinoline, like quinoline, is protonated and alkylated at the nitrogen atom, but electrophilic substitution in the benzene ring is also easily achieved (Scheme 3.14). Sulfonation with oleum gives mainly the 5-sulfonic acid, but fuming nitric acid and concentrated sulfuric acid at 0 C produce a 1 1 mixture of 5- and 8-nitroisoquinolines. Bromination in the presence of aluminium trichloride at 75 °C gives a 78% yield of 5-bromoisoquinoline. 

A systematic and intensive theoretical study of reactivity has been reported by Brown and his colleagues,8,115,139-142 who discussed the reactivity of pyridine, quinoline, and isoquinoline in terms of localization energies. They investigated the values of these indices, first of all for electrophilic substitution, with regard to the value of the Coulomb integral of the heteroatom orbital and the orbitals adjacent to it (auxiliary inductive parameters). They demonstrated that the course of electrophilic substitution can be estimated from theoretical reactivity indices if 77-electron densities are used for reactions that occur readily and localization energies for those occurring only reluctantly. 

Reactions. In general, isoquinoline undergoes electrophilic substitution reactions at the 5-position and nucleophilic reactions at the l-posilion. Nitration with mixed acids produces a 9 1 mixture of 5-nitroisoquinoline and 8-nitroisoquinoline. Sulfonation of isoquinoline gives a mixture with 5-isoquinolinesulfonic acid as the principal product. 

An isoquinoline derivative 30 has been prepared by an intramolecular electrophilic substitution between the N-acyliminium ion and a phenyl group 19). 

Electrophilic substitution (bromination, nitration) of 2-substituted 1,2,3,6,7,116-hexahydro-4//-pyrazino[2,l -a]isoquinolin-4-ones occurred on the aromatic moiety to give either 11- or 8-substituted derivatives the site was not determined (76GEP2441261). The nitro group was reduced to an amino group, which was alkylated, acylated, and converted to different groups via a diazonium group, and involved in diazonium coupling. 

Quinoline forms part of quinine (structure at the head of this chapter) and isoquinoline forms the central skeleton of the isoquinoline alkaloids, which we will discuss at some length in Chapter 51. In this chapter we need not say much about quinoline because it behaves rather as you would expect—its chemistry is a mixture of that of benzene and pyridine. Electrophilic substitution favours the benzene ring and nucleophilic substitution favours the pyridine ring. So nitration of quinoline gives two products—the 5-nitroquinolines and the 8-nitroquinolines—in about equal quantities (though you will realize that the reaction really occurs on protonated quinoline. 

Various cyclizations of alkynylbenzaldimines (e.g., 174) are particularly useful in the synthesis of isoquinolines as summarized in Scheme 101 . The use of electrophiles and base yields 3,4-disubstituted isoquinolines 175 <2002JOC3437> whereas the palladium-catalyzed carbonylation affords 4-aroylquinolines 173 <2002JOC7042>. Cyclization followed by Heck reaction gives rise to 4-alkenyl substituted isoquinolines 176 (Scheme 101) <2002TL3557>. 

An indication of the deactivating effect of replacing a CH=CH by an imine (CH=N-) is that the electrophilic substitution of quinoline and isoquinoline, in which a benzenoid ring is fused to a pyridine ring, takes place in the benzenoid ring at C-5 and to a lesser extent at C-8 (Scheme 4.25). 

Qulnolinium salts (68 Scheme 15) can undergo attack at either the 2- or 4-position. The former normally predominates and the latter leads to 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinolines (69). 3-Substituents generally produce mixtures of the 1,2- and 1,4-dihydro adducts. Isoquinolinium salts (70 Scheme 15) produce both 1,2-dihydrolsoqulnolines (71) and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines (72). Reduction in protlc solvents normally produces the tetrahydro adducts, in anhydrous pyridine or dimethylformamide the reduction generally stops at the 1,2-dihydroisoquinoline. Reaction of the enamine system of 1,2-dihydroisoqui-nollnes with electrophiles has been used as a method for generation of 4-substituted isoquinolines. 

Thiazoles are deactivated towards electrophilic substitution, and thus direct reaction with hydride re-ductants to give thiazolines should be facilitated. There are indeed some examples of this type of reaction, but it is more common to reduce N-alkylated thiazolium salts (209). These compounds are converted first by reaction with sodium borohydride into 4-thiazolines (210), which in protic solvents become protonated and undergo further reduction to yield thiazolidines (211). Similarly the isoquinoli-nium salt (213), formed by the acid-promoted cyclization of the isoquinoline (212), is converted into the tetrahydroisoquinoline (214) (presumably via an intermediate 1,2-dihydroisoquinoline) by reaction with sodium borohydride. ... 

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