ChemistrySelect.
Wiley-Blackwell.
Vol. 3.
2018.
P. 3107-3110
The reaction between readily accessible N-aryl-3-phenylallylamines and maleic anhydride led to unexpected products – polysubstituted hydrogenated benzo[f]isoindole-4-carboxylic acids. This transformation proceeds through a previously unknown sequence of steps: N-acylation of the allylamine with maleic anhydride, intramolecular Diels-Alder reaction of the vinylarene in the intermediate N-maleamide, and Alder-ene reaction of the products of the previous two steps. Selected benzo[f]isoindoles displayed antiviral activity. © 2018 Elsevier Ltd