Of isoindoles

Although it has not been possible to study the protonation of isoindole itself, it is clear that isoindoles are more basic than indoles or pyrroles. For example, 2,5-dimethyl-1,3-diphenylisoindole (40) has a p/sTa of 4-2.05 protonation of isoindoles occurs at positions 1 or 3. The pK for protonation of indolizine (10) at position 3 is 4-3.94 and that for carbazole (41) for protonation on nitrogen is estimated at -6.0. 

Reduction of isoindoles with dissolving metals or catalytically occurs in the pyrrole ring. Reduction of indolizine with hydrogen and a platinum catalyst gives an octahydro derivative. With a palladium catalyst in neutral solution, reduction occurs in the pyridine ring but in the presence of acid, reduction occurs in the five-membered ring (Scheme 38). Reductive metallation of 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran results in stereoselective formation of the cw-1,3-dihydro derivative (Scheme 39) (80JOC3982). 

Several calculations of the electronic structure of isoindoles have Ijeen published, and the distribution of charge density around the isoindole nucleus calculated by these methods is summarized in X able I. A common prediction of the calculations, which are based on tlie LCAO-MO method or the frontier electron concept, is the relatively high electron density to bo found at position 1, and the expectation, thei efore, i.s that electrophilic substitution on carbon... 

Isoindolines comprise a group of well-characterized and easily synthesized substances, and being at the next stable reduction state below that of isoindoles, they constitute suitable precursors for synthesis of the latter. In principle, either oxidation or elimination from isoindolines should lead to isoindoles however, in view of the susceptibility of isoindoles to further oxidation, elimination has been preferred, and in all cases reported the leaving group has been placed on nitrogen rather than carbon. 

In contrast to isoindoliiiium salts and A-oxides of isoindolines, successful elimination from simple 2-substituted isoindolines has been realized in only two cases. One of these, however, was the synthesis of isoindole itself, and it seems likely that this method is particularly well suited to the preparation of other sensitive isoindoles. 

Syntheses of phthalimidines (e.g., 30) do not in themselves constitute syntheses of isoindoles or isoindolenines, since the lactam from shows no tendency to tautomerize, as discerned from spectroscopic evidence, to lactim forms (31 and 32). However, phthalimidines are... 

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... 

Redox measurements (see Table VIII) on several isoindole derivatives indicate that this system should be particularly susceptible to reduction. In practice, reduction of isoindoles (and, presumably, also... 

Electrolytic reduction of phthalimide and of phthalimidines which are at an oxidation level above that of isoindole, proceeds through the isoindole to the isoindoline stage, which is then stable to further... 

Isoindole itself gives normal Diels-Alder addition products, (107 and 108), with maleic anhydride and A-phcnylmaleimide, these derivatives constituting the main evidence for forma,tion of the parent substance. 2-Alkyl- and 2-arylisoindoles also give normal addition products with these two dienophiles.Although only one product is generally isolated, it seems likely, in view of the known tendency of several Diels-Alder adducts of isoindoles to dissociate to their components (see below), that both exo and endo stereoisomers might be formed in certain cases. The reaction between 2-p-tolyl-isoindole and A-phenylmaleimide has been shown to give both e,xo (109) and endo (110) addition products. ... 

Accurate, quantitative spectroscopic data for the simple alkyl-substituted derivatives of isoindole are not available, cither because of their inherent instability or tendency to tautomerize to isoindole-nines. However, the presence of an isoindole in a tautomeric mixture can be readily discerned by means of ultraviolet spectroscopy. ... 

The infrared spectra of a number of isoindoles have been reported. All apparently show an intense band at 1600 cm , and in isoindoles where nitrogen is unsubstituted, the NH stretching absorption occurs as a strong, sharp band at about 3460 cm-i ss, S7.39,42 ygpy little information is available concerning the nuclear magnetic... 

The combination of the Diels-Alder reaction of fi-sulfonylnitroethylene and the Barton-Zard reaction provides a new synthesis of pyrroles fused with polycyclic skeletons fEq 10 31 Pyrroles fused with bicycle [3 3 3 Qctodiene are important precursors for synthesis of isoindoles via the retro Diels-Alder reaction fEq 10 33 ... 

One method that combines the good chromatographic properties with improved limit of detection is the separation of isoindole derivatives of amino acids that may be detected fluorimetrically. This method may be applied to protein hydrolysates, and used in automated format in routine analyses [22]. 

The reaction of isoindole 192 with phosphorus pentasulfide in pyridine afforded intermediate 193, which gave with hydrazine hydrate 194 (82S853) (Scheme 40). 

A synthesis of highly-substituted tetracenes was developed starting from isoindole (benzo[c]pyrrole) <06OL273>. For example, treatment of dibromonaphthalene 87 with phenyllithium in the presence of isoindole 86 followed by deamination of the intermediate cycloadduct provided tetracene 88. Separately, the synthesis and cycloaddition chemistry of oxadisilole-fused isoindoles was investigated <06SL2510>. 

A possible mechanism for the observed transformation includes the sequence outlined in Scheme 2.327 (i) propargyl (A) - allene (B) tautomerization, (ii) 8jt-cyclization (C), (iii) N-0 cleavage (diradical D), (iv) diradical recombination (cyclopropanone derivative E), and (v) one or two step cyclizations of the azadienyl cyclopropanone into azepinone F. The occurrence of cyclopropanones (type E), as intermediates, is supported by the formation, in some cases, of isoindoles (type I) (789) as minor products (Scheme 2.327) (139, 850, 851). 

Sato, R. Ohmori, M. Kaitani, E Kurosawa, A. Senzaki, T Goto, T Saito, M. Synthesis of isoindoles. Acid- or base-induced cyclization of 2-cyanoben-zaldehyde with alcohols. Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn. 1988, 61, 2481-2485. 

Derivatives of the naphthalen-l,4 -imine ring system (2) have become available only since the discovery of cycloaddition reactions of benzyne, on the one hand, and the recent rapid development of isoindole chemistry on the other. 

The reactions of isoindoles with other acetylenic dienophiles have yet to be explored. 

Isocyanides, which are better candidates to react with dienes in a 1,4-fashion, were shown to cycloadd to 1-azadienes. Thus, the formation of isoindole derivative 15 as the major product (ca. 28% yield), upon treatment of benzoquinone 13 with two equivalents of p-tolyl isocyanide [81AG(E)982] was reported the reaction involves the insertion of the isocyanide carbon atom into the C—H bond of 13 leading to the 1-azadiene derivative 14, which in turn undergoes a [4 + 1] cycloaddition with a second isocyanide molecule (Scheme 4). 

Dissolving metals reduce the heterocyclic ring of isoindoles. 

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