Ruthenium-catalyzed synthesis of isoquinolones with 8-aminoquinoline as a bidentate directing group in C-H functionalization.

Ruthenium-catalyzed oxidative annulation of N-quinolin-8-yl-benzamides with alkynes in open air has been achieved using 8-aminoquinolinyl moiety as a bidentate directing group in the presence of Cu(OAc)2·H2O as an oxidant. This reaction offers a broad substrate scope, and both symmetrical and unsymmetrical alkynes can be applied. High regioselectivity was achieved in the case of unsymmetrical (aryl)alkynes. Reaction with heteroaryl amides was also successful in this catalytic process. A ruthenium-N-quinolin-8-yl-benzamide complex was isolated in the absence of alkyne; in the absence of both N-quinolin-8-yl-benzamide and alkyne, in contrast to literature, only the monoacetate complex RuCl(OAc)(p-cymene), but not the bis-acetate complex Ru(OAc)2(p-cymene), was isolated. These data suggest that this reaction may proceed via N,N-bidentate chelate complex. Key products were characterized by X-ray crystallography.