Aqueous N-heterocyclization of primary amines and hydrazines with dihalides: microwave-assisted syntheses of N-azacycloalkanes, isoindole, pyrazole, pyrazolidine, and phthalazine derivatives.

[reactions: see text] The synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles from alkyl dihalides (ditosylates) and primary amines and hydrazines via a simple and efficient cyclocondensation in an alkaline aqueous medium that occurs under microwave irradiation is described. This improved greener synthetic methodology provides a simple and straightforward one-pot approach to the synthesis of a variety of heterocycles, such as substituted azetidines, pyrrolidines, piperidines, azepanes, N-substituted 2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindoles, 4,5-dihydropyrazoles, pyrazolidines, and 1,2-dihydrophthalazines.