Cascade Annulation of o-Alkynylbenzaldehydes with Acrylamides: Access to Benzo[e]isoindolinone Scaffolds.

A practical synthetic strategy for the construction of benzo[e]isoindolinone derivatives was developed via a PhSeBr-mediated annulation of o-alkynylbenzaldehydes with acrylamides. The reaction exhibits excellent functional group tolerance and high efficiency, affording polycyclic products with significant biological activity. Mechanistic investigations, including control experiments and deuterium-labeling studies, were performed to elucidate the reaction pathway. Biological activity assays reveal that some compounds exhibit potent in vitro antiproliferative activity against PC-3 (prostate cancer) and HGC-27 (gastric cancer) cell lines.