Visible-Light-Promoted Conversion of Alkyl Benzyl Ether to Alkyl Ester or Alcohol via O-α-sp3 C-H Cleavage

A mild and high-yielding visible-light-promoted conversion of alkyl benzyl ethers to the alkyl esters or alkyl alcohols was developed. Mechanistic studies provided evidence for a radical chain reaction involving the homolytic cleavage of O-alpha-sp(3) C-H bonds in the substrate as one of the propagation steps. We propose that a-bromoethers are key intermediates in the transformation.