Visible-Light-Induced Metal-/Photocatalyst-Free C–H Bond Imidation of Arenes

In this study, a visible-light-induced intermolecular C-H bond imidation of arenes was achieved at ambient condition. By using simple phthalimide with (diacetoxyiodo)benzene and molecular iodine, direct metal-/photocatalyst-free C-N bond formation was achieved. The imidation protocol was designed by using time-dependent density functional theory calculations and experimentally demonstrated for 28 substrates with as high as 96% yield. Mechanistic studies indicated that radical-mediated aromatic substitution occurred via photolysis of N-iodophthalimide under visible-light irradiation.