Decarboxylative C–H Alkylation of Heteroarene <i>N</i>-Oxides by Visible Light/Copper Catalysis

Abstract

This paper reports a highly site-selective alkylation of heteroarene <i>N</i>-oxides using hypervalent iodine(III) carboxylates to serve as an alkylating agent in the presence of a cheap copper catalyst under visible light conditions. This mild method proceeds at room temperature in an air atmosphere and can withstand various heteroarene <i>N</i>-oxides as well as various primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl carboxylic acids. It also provides a practical method for enabling the rapid conversion of commercially available raw materials into medically relevant "drug-like" molecules.