Room-Temperature Synthesis of Isoindolone Spirosuccinimides: Merger of Visible-Light Photocatalysis and Cobalt-Catalyzed C-H Activation

A room-temperature C-H bond functionalization of benzamides has been developed by merging a photocatalyst with a cobalt catalyst for the synthesis of isoindolone spirosuccinimides. The reaction proceeds in aerobic conditions and does not require any sacrificial external oxidants such as Ag(I) or Mn(III) salts. Visible light activates the photocatalyst, and it acts as an electron-transfer reagent and helps in the fundamental organometallic steps by modulating the oxidation state of the cobalt complex. This C-H bond functionalization and spirocyclization showed wide substrate scope and good functional group tolerance. A possible reaction mechanism was proposed from the experimental outcome, showing that C-H bond activation is irreversible and not the rate-determining step.