Rhodium-Catalyzed C–H Activation of Naphthamides for the Syntheiss of Substituted 3H-Benzo[e]isoindolin-3-ones

3H-benzo[e]isoindolin-3-ones were prepared through a two-step process from naphthamides. The methodology involved efficient and selective mono and bis functionalisation of naphthtalene substrates. The sequence is based on alkoxylation or arylation reactions followed by a alkenylation-annulation cascade. Our strategy provided the first dual Pd- and Rh-promoted access to diversely substituted angular naphthalene-based isoindolin-3-ones characterized by an unprecedented isomeric molecular arrangement. Such architectures can also be prepared in a more economical manner through a telescoping three-step process which account for concatenation of arylation, alkenylation and annulation reactions.