Synthesis of Isoquinolines from Indenes

Article abstract of DOI:10.1021/jo01314a019

A general procedure for the synthesis of isoquinolines from appropriately substituted indenes is described.Ozonolysis of the indenes followed by reductive workup gives intermediate homophthalaldehydes which are treated with ammonium hydroxide to give the isoquinolines.This "one-pot", three-step reaction sequence was applied to the formation of all of the mono-C-methyl-substituted isoquinolines in a regiospecific manner.The procedure is applicable to both electron-withdrawing and electron-donating substituents on the indene system.In this manner the 6- and 7-nitro-,-bromo-, and -iodoisoquinolines were prepared.