Synthesis of N-substituted 1,2-dihydrobenz[g]isoquinoline-5,10-diones

The synthesis of N-substituted 1,2-dihydrobenz[g]isoquinoline-5,10-diones was envisaged as part of our research on structural modifications of pentalongin, the active principle of Pentas longiflora Oliv. Therefore, a synthesis of the 2-aza analogues of this natural pyranonaphthoquinone with an acid-mediated intramolecular cyclization of different N-protected 2-(((2,2-dimethoxyethyl)amino)methyl)-1,4-naphthoquinones in the key step was conducted. The synthesized 1,2-dihydrobenz[g]isoquinoline-5,10-diones represent a new class of compounds, which has been undescribed in organic chemistry.