• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.763-766
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• 2007

Oxypalmatine and oxypseudopalmatine were synthesized in three steps from the benzonitrile 11 and toluamides 12a, b. The lithiated cycloaddition reaction yielded 3-arylisoquinolinone intermediates. A subsequent internal SN2 reaction produced the corresponding 8-oxoprotoberberines, oxypalmatine and oxypseudopalmatine.