Rh(III)-Catalyzed Oxidative Spirocyclization of Isoquinolones with α-Diazo-1,3-indandiones.

Rh(III)-catalyzed site-selective oxidative spirocyclization reactions of isoquinolones with α-diazo-1,3-indandiones leading to three kinds of spiro compounds by employing isoquinolones with different structural features or tuning the reaction parameters are presented. In addition, a plausible catalytic cycle is proposed on the basis of control experimental results and density functional theory calculations. Finally, the diverse transformations of the spiro products into other complex skeletons demonstrate the synthetic utility of this protocol.