An efficient synthesis of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydrobenzo[g]quinoline derivatives through PdCl2-catalyzed,
TBHP-promoted,
and toluene-mediated dehydrogenation/[4+2] cycloaddition of saturated
cyclic amines with 2-alkynylbenzaldehydes was developed. On the contrary,
when the reaction medium was changed from toluene to DMSO/H2O, another class of important compounds, naphthyl chain amines, formed
via a dehydrogenation–intermolecular condensation–C–N
bond cleavage–intramolecular condensation pathway, was obtained
with good selectivity.