Abstract
Isoindoles are highly reactive aromatic heterocycles that have a variety of important
applications in areas such as medicine, analytical detection, and solar energy. Due
to their highly reactive nature, isoindoles can be used to access their derivatives,
which possess a diverse array of biological activities. However, their reactivity
also makes isoindoles unstable and thus, difficult to prepare. Consequently, there
has been a need for the development of novel methods that address some of the synthetic
challenges and limitations, as well as reactions that utilize isoindoles to access
potentially useful compounds. This review will give an overview of the novel reactions
reported within the past decade (2012 to 2022) that involve 2H- and 1H-isoindoles and fused isoindoles as reactants, key intermediates, or products. This
review is divided into two parts, with the first part focusing on the synthesis of
isoindoles and the second part focusing on reactions of isoindoles. The scopes and
limitations of the methods described therein will be discussed and the significance
of their contributions to the literature will be highlighted. Similar reactions will
also be compared.
1 Introduction
2 Synthesis of Isoindoles
2.1 Synthesis of 2H-Isoindoles
2.2 Synthesis of 1H-Isoindoles
3 Reactions of Isoindoles
3.1 Reactions of 2H-Isoindoles
3.2 Reactions of 1H-Isoindoles
4 Conclusions
Key words
isoindole - 2
H-isoindole - 1
H-isoindole - isoindoline - isoindolinone - phthalimide
