Transition-Metal-Free One-Pot Tandem Synthesis of 3-Ketoisoquinolines from Aldehydes and Phenacyl Azides

An efficient and transition-metal-free strategy for the synthesis of 3-keto-isoquinolines in one pot has been developed from the easily accessible 2-(formylphenyl)acrylates and phenacyl azides. Various substituted aldehydes and phenacyl azides were successfully employed in this transformation to furnish a variety 3-keto-isoquinolines in very good yields. A number of controlled experiments were conducted to postulate the reaction mechanism. Secondary functionalizations of 2-keto-isoquinolins were also performed to showcase the synthetic utility.