Synthesis of Indolo[2,1- a ]isoquinolines by Nickel-Catalyzed Mizoroki-Heck/Amination Cascade Reaction.

An efficient Mizoroki-Heck/amination cascade reaction of o -dihaloarenes with cyclic imines was realized by combining nickel and a sterically bulky N-heterocyclic carbene ligand. This protocol provides access to a variety of indole[2,1- a ]isoquinolines from readily available starting materials. This cascade approach could be applied to produce straightforward synthesis of the natural product cryptowoline.