High stereoselectivity synthesis of Z-3-methyleneisoindolin-1-ones on a Cu/ETS-10 catalyst via domino coupling–cyclization without the use of protective groups and ligands

Abstract

Controlling the spatial selectivity of the coupling sites in two-molecule reactions is critical for stereoselective product synthesis. Herein, we report a novel strategy that uses basic ETS-10 zeolite-supported copper (Cu/ETS-10) as a catalyst for the highly selective synthesis of Z-3-methyleneisoindolin-1-ones in the absence of ligands. It was found that the rigidity of the zeolite skeleton was conducive to the high configurational selectivity of the product. The Cu/ETS-10 catalyst was easily recovered by simple filtration and could be reused five times without loss of its initial activity.