Organophotocatalytic radical-polar cross-coupling of styrene boronic acids and redox-active esters

Abstract

We report the development of a radical-polar cross-coupling reaction using styrene boronic acids and redox-active esters under organophotoredox catalysis. The reaction proceeds through a formal polarity-mismatched radical addition. The use of an organic photocatalyst enabled very low loadings of the electron-shuttle additive and accelerated reaction times compared to established processes. The scope of the reaction is explored, and the utility of the products is demonstrated.