Palladium-Catalyzed Isoquinoline Synthesis by Tandem C-H Allylation and Oxidative Cyclization of Benzylamines with Allyl Acetate.

A novel approach to synthesize 3-methylisoquinolines via a one-pot, two-step, palladium(II)-catalyzed tandem C-H allylation/intermolecular amination and aromatization is reported. A wide series of 3-methylisoquinoline derivatives were obtained directly using this method in moderate to good yields, and we highlight the synthetic importance of this new transformation.