KI-TBHP-Mediated Synthesis of 3-Arylisocoumarin Derivatives
Cui Ling, Wang Xinya, Gao Yaping, Yuan Jinwei*
化学通报, 2026, 89(2), 223-228.
Isocoumarin is an important structural unit in many natural products, possessing various biological activities and medicinal values such as antifungal and antioxidant properties. However, the current research on the synthesis methods of this type of compounds and their derivatives is still relatively limited. In this paper, under microwave-assisted conditions, using
o-styrylbenzoic acid as the raw material, the influencing factors and mechanism of the reaction were systematically investigated. The results showed that under microwave heating, using KI (0.1 equiv.) as the catalyst, TBHP (3 equiv.) as the oxidant, acetonitrile as the solvent, and reacting at 100
oC for 40 mins, the yield could reach 80%. This reaction proceeds via a free radical mechanism. Under optimized conditions, ten 3-aryl isocoumarin derivatives were successfully synthesized, and their structures were characterized by IR, NMR and HRMS. This study provides a new method for the green synthesis of isocoumarin derivatives.