Ruthenium-catalyzed highly regioselective cyclization of ketoximes with alkynes by C-H bond activation: a practical route to synthesize substituted isoquinolines.

Aromatic and heteroaromatic ketoximes underwent cyclization with alkynes in the presence of a catalytic amount of [{RuCl(2)(p-cymene)}(2)] and NaOAc to give isoquinoline derivatives in good to excellent yields in a highly regioselective manner.