Synthesis of pyrrolidinedione-fused hexahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines via three-component [3 + 2] cycloaddition followed by one-pot N-allylation and intramolecular Heck reactions

• Xiaoming Ma,
• Suzhi Meng,
• Xiaofeng Zhang,
• Qiang Zhang,
• Shenghu Yan,
• Yue Zhang and
• Wei Zhang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2020, 16, 1225–1233, doi:10.3762/bjoc.16.106

• ]isoquinolines. The multicomponent reaction was combined with one-pot reactions to make a synthetic method with good pot, atom and step economy. MeCN was used as a preferable green solvent for the reactions. Keywords: [3 + 2] cycloaddition; Heck reaction; hexahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline; one-pot reactions

• ; Introduction Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline and hexahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline are privileged heterocyclic rings existing in many natural products and synthetic compounds possessing antitumor, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidizing, and other biological activities (Figure 1) [1][2]. For example, the alkaloid

• hexahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline compounds 9a–o in moderate to good yields as a single isomers which were confirmed by 1H NMR analysis of the crude reaction mixtures. The substitution groups R3 (Me, Et, Ph, Bn, c-C6H11) on maleimide have no significant influence on the product yields to afford 9a–f in 73–80

Visible-light photoredox catalyzed synthesis of pyrroloisoquinolines via organocatalytic oxidation/[3 + 2] cycloaddition/oxidative aromatization reaction cascade with Rose Bengal

• Carlos Vila,
• Jonathan Lau and
• Magnus Rueping

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2014, 10, 1233–1238, doi:10.3762/bjoc.10.122

• presence of Rose Bengal (5 mol %) in acetonitrile under irradiation with visible light, the reaction was not selective affording the dihydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline 3aa in 35% yield and the hexahydropyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline 4aa in 26% yield, after column chromatography (Scheme 1). In order to improve