Heck-mediated synthesis and photochemically induced cyclization of [2-(2-styrylphenyl)ethyl]carbamic acid ethyl esters and 2-styryl-benzoic acid methyl esters: total synthesis of naphtho[2,1f]isoquinolines (2-azachrysenes)

We describe two new closely related total syntheses of naphtho[2,1-f]isoquinolines. The first synthesis consists of a Heck coupling reaction between trifluoromethanesulfonic acid 2-(2-ethoxycarbonylaminoethyl)phenyl esters and styrenes to give [2-(2-styrylphenyl)ethyl]carbamic acid ethyl esters. These compounds cyclize to give (2-phenanthren-1-yl-ethyl)carbamic acid ethyl esters, from which 2-azachrysenes can be obtained in a three-step sequence. The second synthesis includes a new total synthesis of 2-styrylbenzoic acid methyl esters by Heck coupling of methyl o-iodobenzoates to styrenes, followed by the transformation of the resulting benzoic acid derivatives into phenanthrene-1-carboxylic acid methyl esters and then into the target compounds by a six-step sequence including a Bischler–Napieralski cyclization.