A new and versatile synthetic route to 2-dimethylamino-3-alkyl and arylmethylene-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-1-ones

A variety of 2-dimethylamino-3-alkyl and arylmethylene-2,3-dihydro-1H-isoindol-1-ones have been efficiently prepared from an appropriate 3-benzotriazolyl substituted parent model via a three-step sequence involving deprotonation, subsequent alkylation and ultimate elimination reaction induced by an acidic treatment.