A Smart (Ar‐tpy)Cu ^I NO ₂ Nanocatalyst for Dual C–N Coupled Reductive Cyclization of Phthaladehyde With Imidates to Furnish Isoindolin‐1‐Ones

ABSTRACT We have demonstrated a new nanocatalysis toward two bond‐forming N–C coupled cascade cyclization to access functionalized N ‐substituted isoindolin‐1‐ones, exploiting incipient imidate and o ‐phthalaldehyde through the involvement of fabricated a new (Ar‐tpy)Cu I NO 2 nanocatalyst. This synchronized two bond‐forming N–C coupled cascade cyclization protocol passes through a radical mechanistic pathway. This strategy produces a wide range of variably substituted new N ‐substituted isoindolin‐1‐one molecules possessing aromatic, olefin, and aliphatic substituents with high yields under the same reaction conditions. The key advantages of these methodologies involve the use of economical nanocatalysis with operational simplicity, generality, and robustness. The new Cu I ‐terpyridine complex demonstrated as the nanocatalyst, comprise of a tridentate pyridyl‐based framework as the chelating pincer‐type ligand because of its ability to form stable complexes with various metal cations. We have captured, purified, and characterized the intermediate lactone, formed during progress of the N–C coupled cascade reaction. Furthermore, DFT calculations were performed to support the proposed plausible reaction mechanism along with the kinetic and control experiments.