Many of the title compounds described in this paper could be important lead structures for the further development of novel HPPD herbicides. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Herein, we report a Rh(III)‐catalyzed 1,3‐dienylation of isoquinolin‐1(2H)‐ones through C−H activation. The present reaction enables the preparation of 3‐(buta‐1,3‐dien‐2‐yl)isoquinolin‐1(2H)‐ones through the direct cross‐coupling reaction of readily available isoquinolin‐1(2H)‐ones with methylenecyclopropanes, while tolerating many sensitive functional groups. Therefore, this method provides an efficient and convenient approach for modification of interesting molecules.magnified image

Under rhodium(III)‐catalyzed conditions, a broad range of benzoic acids reacted with acrylates successfully to provide phthalides through the direct functionalization of a C–H bond followed by β‐hydride elimination and intramolecular Michael addition. The reaction provides an alternative strategy for the construction of diverse and useful phthalide derivatives from readily available starting materials. In most cases, high regioselectivity was obtained, and this is the first report of the rhodium‐catalyzed synthesis of phthalides in water.

A new and facile AgSbF-mediated protocol for the construction of C-4 thiolated or selenylated isoquinolin-1(2 H)-ones via a radical pathway was established. This reaction proceeded efficiently with excellent regioselectivity, a broad substrate scope, and good functional group tolerance. A radical reaction mechanism involving thiyl radicals as key intermediates is proposed for the present transformation.

Under rhodium(III) catalysis, four kinds of cycloalkenecarboxylic acids successfully reacted with acrylates via direct activation of the β-alkenyl C-H bond. The present protocol provides the facile and highly efficient synthesis of substituted furan-2(5H)-ones from readily available starting materials with moderate to good yields. In addition, their possible reaction mechanisms were also discussed.