Friedel-Crafts reaction intramolecular ring opening

An ingenious synthesis of 1-arylisoindolcs has been developed by Vebor and Lwowski, based upon the reaction of an o-phthalimido-methylbenzophenone (41, R = aryl) with hydrazine (Table IV). The benzophenone is prepared by a Friedel-Crafts reaction with o-phthalimidomethylbenzoyl chloride (40). The mechanism of isoindole formation can be represented sehematically by a sequence involving attack by hydrazine at the imide to give the ring-opened hj drazide (42), followed by cyclization to phthalazine-l,4-dione (44) with displacement of the o-aminomethylbenzophenone (43). Intramolecular condensation of the latter can lead, via the isoindolenine... 

Typically in ring-opening reactions of aziridines, the amine functional group is retained in the product molecule. An example of such a reaction where the amine group has been lost has recently been reported <06TL977>. An intramolecular Friedel-Craft reaction of aziridine 91 leads to the expected product as an intermediate. Under the rather drastic reaction conditions, the sulfonamide is lost leading to formation of the naphthalene ring. 

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