Photoredox Catalysis: 1,4-Conjugate Addition of <i>N</i>-Methyl Radicals to Electron-Deficient Olefins via Decarboxylation of <i>N</i>-Substituted Acetic Acids

Abstract

In this report, we describe a new photoredox catalyzed 1,4-conjugate addition of <i>N</i>-substituted acetic acids to electron-deficient olefins via decarboxylative C-C bond formation. This C-C bond formation occurred under mild conditions enabled by visible light irradiation. This transformation facilitated the synthesis of biologically relevant <i>N</i>-substituted heterocyclic structural motifs not readily accessible by other methods. The C-C bond formation protocol was applied to weakly nucleophilic heterocycles such as indoles, indazoles, imidazoles, and cyclic amides to form functionalized drug-like small molecule.