ll Article A general N-alkylation platform via copper metallaphotoredox and silyl radical activation of alkyl halides Nathan W. Dow, Albert Cabre´, David W.C. MacMillan
[email protected] Highlights General, room temperature N- alkylation via copper metallaphotoredox catalysis Broad reactivity across diverse alkyl bromides, N-heterocycles, and pharmaceuticals Convenient approach to N- cyclopropylation using easily handled bromocyclopropane Readily extended to functionalization of unactivated secondary alkyl chlorides Traditional substitution reactions between nitrogen nucleophiles and alkyl halides feature well-established, substrate-dependent limitations and competing reaction pathways under thermally induced conditions. Herein, we report that a metallaphotoredox approach, utilizing a halogen abstraction-radical capture (HARC) mechanism, provides a valuable alternative to conventional N-alkylation. This visible-light-induced, copper-catalyzed protocol is successful for coupling >10 classes of N-nucleophiles with diverse primary, secondary, or tertiary alkyl bromides. Moreover, this open-shell platform alleviates outstanding N-alkylation challenges regarding regioselectivity, direct cyclopropylation, and secondary alkyl chloride functionalization. Dow et al., Chem 7,1–16 July 8, 2021 ª 2021 Elsevier Inc. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chempr.2021.05.005 Please cite this article in press as: Dow et al., A general N-alkylation platform via copper metallaphotoredox and silyl radical activation of alkyl halides, Chem (2021), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chempr.2021.05.005