Abstract
In connection with our interest on the photochemical properties of heteroaryl halides, which are currently the subject of heterocyclic ring formation and haloarene degradation, we have studied the photochemistry of the haloarene linked to N-heteroarene compounds. Imidazo[5,1-a]isoindole was synthesized from N-(ochlorobenzyl)imidazole or N-(o-bromobenzyl) imidazole in acidic aqueous solution or acetonitrile via the intramolgcular photocyclization (Table 1). This type of reaction provides the synthetic methods for 5- and 6-membered polyheteroatomic heterocyclic ring compounds. However, the reaction mechanism for the intramolecular photocyclization of haloarene tethered heteroarenes has not yet been established. Grimshaw et al. suggested a mechanism for homolyric carbonhalogen bond fission assisted by radical complexation to explain their results in the photocyclization of 5-(2-chlorophenyl)-1,3-diphenylpyrazole. They also reported the detection of acyclohexadienyl intermediate involved in the above reaction. Park et al. reported several transient 'intermediates involved in the laser flash photolysis of N-(o-halobenzyl) pyridinium and N-benzyl-2-halopyridinium salts. Thus we performed the laser flash photolysis study on the photocyclization reaction of N-(o-chlorobenzyl) imidazole to identify the intermediate species involved in the reaction. Here, we report on the preliminary results in the photocyclization reaction of N-(o-halobenzyl)imidazole through the detection of reaction intermediates.