Visible‐Light Enabled Dehydroxylative Alkylation of α‐Hydroxy Carboxylic Acid Derivatives via C−O Bond Cleavage

Abstract A novel visible‐light photoredox strategy is reported for the efficient dehydroxylative alkylation of a wide array of α‐hydroxy carboxylic acid derivatives using diaryl boron radical. The reaction features readily accessible starting materials, broad substrate scope with excellent functionality tolerance. Preliminary mechanistic studies reveal that the spin‐center shift process is responsible for the C−O bond activation, which is promoted by the diaryl boron radical generated from bench‐stable and commercially available tetraphenyl borate (NaBPh 4 ).