Role of halogen substituents on halogen bonding in 4,5-dibromohexahydro-3a,6-epoxyisoindol-1(4h)-ones

A series of 4,5-dibromo-2-(4-substituted phenyl)hexahydro-3a,6-epoxyisoindol-1(4H)-ones were synthesized by reaction of the corresponding 2-(4-substituted phenyl)-2,3,7,7a-tetrahydro-3a,6-epoxyisoindol-1(6H)-ones with [(Me2NCOMe)2H]Br3 in dry chloroform under reflux for 3−5 h. In contrast to the 4-F and 4-Cl substituents, one of the bromine atoms of the isoindole moiety behaves as a halogen bond donor in the formation of intermolecular halogen bonding in the 4-H, 4-Br and 4-I analogues. Not only intermolecular hydrogen bonds, but also Ha· · · Ha and Ha· · · π types of halogen bonds in the 4-H, 4-Br, and 4-I compounds, contribute to the formation of supramolecular architectures leading to 2D or 3D structures. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.