We have reported a microwave-assisted, ligand-free Pdcatalyzed domino C-C/C-N coupling reaction to construct diverse isoindolinone derivatives using amides and isocyanides as coupling partners. This strategy provides isoindolinone derivatives in moderate to good yield and high stereoselectivity. A broad range of amides has been tolerated and there is no need for extra-dry conditions in this reaction protocol, which offered highly diverse products and easy handling of the reaction.In the last decades, the transition-metal-catalyzed domino reactions with C-C or C-heteroatom bond formation have significant impact on synthetic organic chemistry. 1 Furthermore, the synthetic potential of transition-metal-catalyzed domino reactions has been significantly explored by the development of insertion reactions, in which an alkyne or alkene and carbon monoxide is inserted between the two coupling partners due to the capability of transitionmetal complex to react with the π-system. 2On the other hand, isocyanides, which are isoelectronic with carbon monoxide, have been used as synthetic surrogates of carbon monoxide in transition-metal-catalyzed domino reactions due to the potential of transition-metal complex to react with the π-system of isocyanides. In this context, a broad range of heterocycles has been synthesized using isocyanides instead of carbon monoxide in transition-metal-catalyzed domino reactions. 3
Scheme 1 Recent approaches using isocyanides as a coupling partnerR 2 R 3 O R 1 Br t-BuNC, Pd(OAc) 2 K 2 CO 3 , DPEPhos DMF, 120 °C R 1 O R 2 R 3 N t-Bu HCl, THF reflux R 1 O R 2 R 3 O Br O R 2 R 1 t-BuNC, Pd(OAc) 2 K 2 CO 3 , DPEPhos DMF, 120 °C O N R 1 HCl, THF reflux O O R 1 R 2 NH 2 R 3 NC + Br CHO Ugi-MCR R 1 N R 2 O H N O R 3 Br Pd(OAc) 2 , DMF t-BuNC, Cs 2 CO 3 MW, 150 °C, 20 min NH N R 2 R 1 O H N O R 3 (a) Ji et al. (b) our previous report (c) N H O R 1 X X = Br, I + R 2 NC Pd catalyst N O R 1 N R 2 this approach R 2 R 2 t-Bu R 1 COOHSYNLETT 2013, 24, 0645-0651 Advanced online publication: 25.02.20130 9 3 6 -5 2 1 4 1 4 3 7 -2 0 9 6