Abstract

2-Benzyl-N-tosylbenzamides and related substrates undergo copper-catalyzed intramolecular sulfamidation at the benzylic methylene to give N-arylsuflonyl-1-arylisoindolinones, which can be N-deprotected using samarium iodide to generate the free 1-arylisoindolinones. Preliminary mechanistic studies indicate that the rate-determining step is not C-H bond cleavage but are instead consistent with slow oxidation of a copper pi-arene intermediate.