Visible-Light-Mediated Alkenylation of Alkyl Boronic Acids without an External Lewis Base as an Activator

Org Lett. 2021 Apr 2;23(7):2477-2481. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.1c00399. Epub 2021 Mar 12.

Abstract

Herein we report a protocol for the direct visible-light-mediated alkenylation of alkyl boronic acids at room temperature without an external Lewis base as an activator, and we propose a mechanism involving benzenesulfinate activation of the alkyl boronic acids. The protocol permits the efficient functionalization of a broad range of cyclic and acyclic primary and secondary alkyl boronic acids with various alkenyl sulfones. We demonstrated its utility by preparing or functionalizing several pharmaceuticals and natural products.