Simple and scalable electrochemical synthesis of 2,1-benzisoxazoles and quinoline N-oxides.

Cathodic reduction of the nitro moiety and subsequent intramolecular cyclization affords different substituted 2,1-benzisoxazoles and quinoline N-oxides. This methodology allows the synthesis of two different types of heterocycles from common simple starting materials, using electrons as a sole reagent for this transformation. The electrolysis can be conducted in a very simple undivided electrolysis cell under constant current conditions. This permits working on a larger scale compared to other electrochemical methodologies and represents a significant advantage.