Versatile, Modular, and General Strategy for the Synthesis of α-Amino Carbonyls

Modulating the basicity of alkylamines is a crucial factor in drug design. Consequently, alkylamines with a proximal amide, ester, or ketone have become privileged features in many pharmaceutical candidates. The impact of α-amino carbonyls has made the development of new methods for their preparation a continuous challenge in synthesis. Here, we describe a practical strategy that provides a modular and programmable synthesis of a wide range of α-amino carbonyls. The generality of this process is made possible by an extremely mild method to generate carbamoyl radicals, proceeding via a Lewis acid-visible-light-mediated Norrish type-I fragmentation of a tailored carboxamide reagent and intercepted through addition to in situ generated unbiased imines. Aside from the reaction's broad scope in each component, its capacity to draw on plentiful and diversely populated amine and carbonyl feedstocks is showcased through a two-dimensional array synthesis that is used to construct a library of novel, assay-ready, α-amino amides.