Synthesis of Phenol-Pyridinium Salts Enabled by Tandem Electron Donor-Acceptor Complexation and Iridium Photocatalysis

J Org Chem. 2024 Mar 1;89(5):3419-3429. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.3c02872. Epub 2024 Feb 16.

Abstract

Herein, we describe a dual photocatalytic system to synthesize phenol-pyridinium salts using visible light. Utilizing both electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complex and iridium(III) photocatalytic cycles, the C-N cross-coupling of unprotected phenols and pyridines proceeds in the presence of oxygen to furnish pyridinium salts. Photocatalytic generation of phenoxyl radical cations also enabled a nucleophilic aromatic substitution (SNAr) of a fluorophenol with an electron-poor pyridine. Spectroscopic experiments were conducted to probe the mechanism and reaction selectivity. The unique reactivity of these phenol-pyridinium salts were displayed in several derivatization reactions, providing rapid access to a diverse chemical space.