Photoinduced, Decarboxylative Coupling of α‐Keto Acids with Diselenides to Form Selenoesters

A mild and green strategy for the synthesis of selenoester derivatives has been developed through photoinduced decarboxylative coupling of α‐keto acids with diselenides. This transformation proceeds smoothly without requiring any external photocatalyst, additive, or oxidant. Both diaryl and dialkyl diselenides react efficiently with α‐keto acids to produce selenoesters in good yields. Mechanistic studies suggest that the generated acyl radical is responsible for this transformation.