Rhodium-catalyzed synthesis of isoquinolines and indenes from benzylidenehydrazones and internal alkynes.

A new route is presented for the selective assembly of isoquinolines and indenes by rhodium-catalyzed tandem cyclization of benzylidenehydrazones with internal alkynes. This method involves the selective cleavage of the N-N bond and the C=N bonds and is dependent on the substituents of the benzylidenehydrazone.