Chlorophyll-catalyzed tandem oxidation /[3+2] cycloaddition reactions toward the construction of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines under visible light

Photo-induced tungsten-catalyzed cascade synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline-1,3-dicarboxylate and its reaction mechanism

A pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline core structure is prevalent in marine and other natural products. This article describes a tungsten-catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition aromatization of dihydroisoquinoline ester and maleic anhydride or an acrylate. The photochemical reaction tolerates a range of functional groups such as ester, cyano, ketone, bromide, and alkene. It is shown that the cycloaddition-aromatization of 2-substitued acrylate catalyzed by a tungsten photocatalyst can be used to evaluate the leaving ability of the leaving group. Experiments done to determine the reaction mechanism revealed that the formation of an ion-pair intermediate generated in situ from dihydroisoquinoline ester and (Z)-4-methoxy-4-oxobut-2-enoic acid via the solvolysis of maleic anhydride with methanol is crucial for the cascade process to occur. The key cycloadduct acid intermediate derived from [3+2] cycloaddition was isolated and determined by X-ray crystallography.

Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline scaffolds for developing anti-cancer agents

Fused pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines have emerged as compelling molecules with remarkably potent cytotoxic activity and topoisomerase inhibitors. This comprehensive review delves into the intricate world of this family of compounds, analyzing the natural marine lamellarins known for their diverse and complex chemical structures, exploring structure-activity relationships (SARs), and highlighting their remarkable versatility. The review emphasizes their fundamental role as topoisomerase inhibitors and cytotoxic agents, as well as some crucial aspects of the chemistry of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines, exploring synthetic strategies in total synthesis and molecular diversification trends, highlighting their importance in the field of medicinal chemistry and beyond.

Recent progress in the synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines

Pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines occur frequently in a large number of bioactive natural products and pharmaceutically important molecules. The synthesis of pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinoline derivatives is an easy and useful way to produce artificial molecules with potential applications. A huge number of excellent methodologies for constructing pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines have been reported in the last decade. This review summarizes the recent advances in this research field covering from 2011 to 2021.

Tungsten catalysed decarboxylative [3 + 2] cycloaddition aromatization: one-pot synthesis of trifluoromethyl-pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines with visible light irradiation

Trifluoromethyl-pyrrolo[2,1-a]isoquinolines, which are difficult to prepare via traditional methods, could be readily prepared via a tungsten-catalysed decarboxylative [3 + 2] cycloaddition aromatization process.

Chlorophyll: the ubiquitous photocatalyst of nature and its potential as an organo-photocatalyst in organic syntheses

The emergence of chlorophyll, the principal photoacceptor of green plants, as an organo-photocatalyst.

Visible-light-mediated phosphonylation reaction: formation of phosphonates from alkyl/arylhydrazines and trialkylphosphites using zinc phthalocyanine

In this work, we developed a ligand- and base-free visible-light-mediated protocol for the photoredox syntheses of arylphosphonates and, for the first time, alkyl phosphonates. Zinc phthalocyanine-photocatalyzed Csp2-P and Csp3-P bond formations were efficiently achieved by reacting aryl/alkylhydrazines with trialkylphosphites in the presence of air serving as an abundant oxidant. The reaction conditions tolerated a wide variety of functional groups.