Rhodium(iii)-catalyzed oxidative annulation ofN-arylbenzamidines with maleimidesviadual C–H activation

An oxidative annulation of N-arylbenzimidamides with maleimides has been developed for the first time using a catalytic amount of the [Cp*RhCl2]2 complex for the synthesis of a diverse range of 1H-benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-a]pyrrolo[3,4-c]isoquinoline-1,3(2H)-dione derivatives. This method is versatile and atom-economical for producing polycyclic benzo[4,5]imidazo[2,1-a]pyrrolo[3,4-c] isoquinoline-1,3(2H)-dione scaffolds in a single step.