Electrophotocatalytic C-H Functionalization of N-Heteroarenes with Unactivated Alkanes under External Oxidant-Free Conditions

The Minisci alkylation of N-heteroarenes with unactivated alkanes under external oxidant-free conditions provides an economically attractive route to access alkylated N-heteroarenes but remains underdeveloped. Herein, a new electrophotocatalytic strategy to access alkyl radicals from strong C(sp(3))-H bonds was reported for the following Minisci alkylation reactions in the absence of chemical oxidants. This strategy realized the first example of cerium-catalyzed Minisci alkylation reaction directly from abundant unactivated alkanes with excellent atom economy. It is anticipated that the general design principle would enrich catalytic strategies to explore the functionalizations of strong C(sp(3))-H bonds under external oxidant-free conditions with H-2 evolution.

Automated summary

This study reports a new electrophotocatalytic strategy to access alkyl radicals from strong C(sp(3))-H bonds, which can be applied in Minisci alkylation reactions without the use of chemical oxidants. This method realizes the direct Minisci alkylation reaction from abundant unactivated alkanes with high atom economy.