Visible-light induced oxidant-free oxidative cross-coupling for constructing allylic sulfones from olefins and sulfinic acids

An oxidant-free dehydrogenative sulfonylation of alpha-methyl-styrene derivatives was developed for the construction of allylic sulfones by using eosin Y as a photosensitizer in conjunction with a cobaloxime catalyst. The process features a low-cost metal catalyst and atom economy, which provides an appealing strategy for future synthetic chemistry.