Nanodomain cubic cuprous oxide as reusable catalyst in one-pot synthesis of 3-alkyl/aryl-3-(pyrrole-2-yl/indole-3-yl)-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-isoindolinones in aqueous medium

An environmentally benign one-pot protocol has been developed for the syntheses of 3-alkyl/aryl-3-(pyrrole/indole-2/3-yl)-2-phenyl-2,3-dihydro-isoindolinones via a multi-component one-pot reaction involving 2-iodo-N-phenylbenzamides, terminal alkyne and substituted indoles/pyrroles in aqueous medium using cubic cuprous oxide nanoparticles as catalyst. It involves domino Sonogashira-5-exo-dig-cyclization followed by regioselective nucleophilic addition of indoles or pyrroles, in aqueous medium without using any surfactants or additional ligands.