Radical Carbonylation under Low CO Pressure: Synthesis of Esters from Activated Alkylamines at Transition Metal-Free Conditions

Main observation and conclusion High CO pressure (> 40 bar) is usually needed in radical carbonylation reactions in the absence of metal catalyst. In this communication, we developed a transition-metal-free radical carbonylation of activated alkylamines with phenols and alcohols under low CO pressure (1-6 bar). Various esters were obtained in moderate to excellent yields under simple reaction conditions with good functional group compatibility.

Automated summary

This study found that high CO pressure is not necessary for radical carbonylation reactions when using activated alkylamines with phenols and alcohols. The developed method achieved good yields of various esters under mild conditions without transition metals.