A Photocatalytic Regioselective Direct Hydroaminoalkylation of Aryl-Substituted Alkenes with Amines

Org Lett. 2021 Jul 16;23(14):5383-5388. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.1c01715. Epub 2021 Jul 1.

Abstract

A photocatalytic method for the α-selective hydroaminoalkylation of cinnamate esters has been developed. The reaction involves the regioselective addition of α-aminoalkyl radicals generated from aniline derivatives or aliphatic amines to the α-position of unsaturated esters. The scope of aromatic alkenes was extended to styrenes undergoing hydroaminoalkylation with anti-Markovnikov selectivity, which confirms the importance of the aromatic group at the β-position. Simple scale-up is demonstrated under continuous flow conditions, highlighting the practicality of the method.