Visible-light-induced alkyl-arylation of olefins via a halogen-atom transfer process

Visible-light-induced three-component 1,2-alkyl-arylation of alkenes and alkyl radical addition/cyclization of acrylamides have been realized via a photocatalytic halogen-atom transfer (XAT) process. This metal-free protocol utilizes readily available tertiary alkylamine as both an electron donor and an XAT reagent for the activation of alkyl halides using naphthalimide (NI)-based organic photocatalysts. This process features broad substrate scope and good functional group tolerance under mild conditions, and could be effectively applied to a variety of medicinally relevant substrates.