Synthesis of Spiroisoindolinones via Ru(II)-Catalyzed Spiroannulation of N-Acyl Ketimines with Aryl Isocyanates/Isothiocyanates through Aromatic C–H Bond Activation

Herein, we disclose the first report on Ru(II)-catalyzed amidation/thioamidation of 3-hydroxy-3-arylisoindolinones with isocyanates/isothiocyanates, respectively. The reaction furnishes spiroisoindolinones via sequential C-H functionalization of ortho C-H bond followed by intramolecular cyclization in moderate to high yields (up to 94%). Moreover, the developed strategy is highly atom-economical and site-selective and shows diverse substrate generality. Also, synthesized spiroisoindolinones undergo several chemical transformations.