Rapid Access to Aliphatic Sulfonamides

Herein, we report a mild, rapid, straightforward method for visible-light-mediated sulfonamide ethylation to afford a diverse array of compounds with C(sp(3))-sulfonamide skeletons. The method relies on inexpensive, abundant, commercially available primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl carboxylic acids and alkyl iodides as substrates. The method has a broad substrate scope and potential utility for late-stage functionalization of natural products and synthetic medicines and can be expected to facilitate rapid structural diversification of bioactive molecules.

Automated summary

Here, we report a mild, rapid, and direct method for the visible-light-mediated ethylation of sulfonamides to synthesize compounds with diverse C(sp(3))-sulfonamide skeletons. This method utilizes inexpensive, abundant, commercially available primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl carboxylic acids and alkyl iodides as substrates and has a broad scope of applicability. It shows potential utility for the late-stage functionalization of natural products and synthetic medicines, allowing for rapid structural diversification of biologically active molecules.