Light triggered addition/annulation of 2-isocyanobiphenyls toward 6-trifluoromethyl-phenanthridines under photocatalyst-free conditions

A photocatalyst-free, light promoted sequential radical addition/annulation of 2-isocyanobiphenyls to 6-trifluoromethyl phenanthridines is presented. Wide substrate scopes and scale-up experiment demonstrate the promising efficiency and utility of this strategy.