Metal‐Free Photocatalytic Synthesis of exo‐Iodomethylene 2‐Oxazolidinones: An Alternative Strategy for CO2 Valorization with Solar Energy

Abstract A visible‐light‐promoted metal‐free carboxylative cyclization of propargylic amines with CO 2 was shown to offer exo ‐iodomethylene 2‐oxazolidinones. Incorporation of both CO 2 and iodo moieties into these compounds was realized efficiently. The mechanism study revealed that this carboxylative cyclization proceeds through a radical pathway. Notably, the iodine‐functionalized 2‐oxazolidinone as a platform molecule could be easily converted into a wide range of value‐added chemicals through Buchwald–Hartwig, Suzuki, Sonogashira, photocatalytic ene, and photoreduction reactions. As a result, the plentiful downstream transformations remarkably enhance the range of chemicals derived from CO 2 and open a potential avenue for CO 2 functionalization to circumvent energy challenges in this field.