Catalyst Controlled Divergent C4/C8 Site-Selective C-H Arylation of Isoquinolones.

The catalyst-controlled C4/C8 site-selective C-H arylation of isoquinolones using aryliodonium salts as the coupling partners was developed. The C4-selective arylation was successfully achieved via an electrophilic palladation pathway. A completely different selectivity pattern was observed using an Ir(III) catalytic system, which resulted in C-C bond formation exclusively at the C8 position. The isoquinolone scaffold can be conveniently equipped with various aryl substituents at either the C4 or C8 position.