Naturally occurring isoquinolones
have gained considerable attention
over the years for their bioactive properties. While the late-stage
introduction of various functionalities at certain positions, namely,
C-3, C-4, and C-8, has been widely documented, the straightforward
introduction of challenging sp
3
carbon-linked acyclic aminoalkyl
or aza- and oxacyclic appendages at C-6 and C-7 remains largely underexplored.
Interest in 6-substituted azacyclic analogues has recently garnered
attention in connection with derivatives exhibiting anticancer activity.
Reported here is the first application of the versatile and recently
emerging field of Ni-catalyzed reductive cross-coupling reactions
to the synthesis of 6- and 7- hetero(cyclo)alkyl-substituted isoquinolones.
In a second and complementary approach, a new set of C-6- and C-7-substituted
positional isomers of hetero(cyclo)alkyl appendages were obtained
from the merging of photocatalytic and Ni-catalyzed coupling reactions.
In both cases, 6- and 7-bromo isoquinolones served as dual-purpose
reacting partners with readily available tosylates and carboxylic
acids, respectively.