Photo-Promoted Decarboxylative Alkylation of α, β-Unsaturated Carboxylic Acids with ICH2CN for the Synthesis of β, γ-Unsaturated Nitriles

Org Lett. 2021 Sep 17;23(18):7188-7193. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.1c02585. Epub 2021 Sep 7.

Abstract

An efficient, catalyst/photocatalyst-free, and cost-effective methodology for the decarboxylative alkylation of α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acids to synthesize β,γ-unsaturated nitriles has been developed. The reaction proceeded in an environmentally benign atmosphere of blue light-emitting diode irradiation with K2CO3 and water at room temperature. The methodology worked for a wide range of substrates (22 examples) with up to 83% yield. The protocol is also compatible for gram-scale synthesis.