Ru(II)-Catalyzed Redox-Neutral C-H Olefination and Tandem Cyclization with Vinyl Sulfones: Leveraging Sulfinate Anion as a Leaving Group for the Synthesis of 3-Methyleneisoindolin-1-ones

Org Lett. 2024 Dec 13;26(49):10529-10535. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.4c03904. Epub 2024 Dec 2.

Abstract

We developed a Ru(II)-catalyzed redox-neutral C-H olefination of N-methoxybenzamides with vinyl sulfones. The reaction is operationally simple and conducted at ambient temperature and does not require silver additives or external oxidants, making it suitable for late-stage functionalization. Notably, we leveraged the leaving group ability of sulfinate anion to synthesize 3-methyleneisoindolin-1-ones through a tandem C-H olefination/cyclization/elimination sequence at ambient temperature. Moreover, we successfully demonstrated the synthetic versatility of 3-methyleneisoindolin-1-one for the construction of an isoindolobenzazepine core.