Herein, we report the use of isonitriles as alkyl radical precursors in light-mediated hydro- and deuterodeamination reactions. The reaction is scalable, shows broad functional group compatibility and potential to be used in late-stage functionalization. Importantly, the method is general for Cα -primary, Cα -secondary and Cα -tertiary alkyl isonitriles. For most examples, high yields were obtained through direct visible-light irradiation of the isonitrile in the presence of a silyl radical precursor. Interestingly, in the presence of an organic photocatalyst (4CzIPN) a dramatic acceleration was observed. In-depth mechanistic studies using UV/Vis absorption, steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence, and transient absorption spectroscopy suggest that the excited state of 4CzIPN can engage in a single-electron transfer with the isonitrile.
Keywords: Hydrodeamination; Isonitriles; Photocatalysis; Radicals; Visible Light.
© 2023 The Authors. Angewandte Chemie International Edition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.