Visible Light and Triselenium Dicyanide (TSD): New Horizons in the Synthesis of Organic Selenocyanates

Abstract Herein, we describe a new method for the synthesis of α‐carbonyl selenocyanates by reacting triselenium dicyanide (TSD) and styrenes under blue light irradiation and O 2 atmosphere. The reactions are triggered by the formation of Se‐centered radical species, followed by the addition/oxidation of the styrene π‐bond. α‐Carbonyl selenocyanates and α‐hydroxy selenocyanates were obtained in moderate to excellent yields from aryl‐ and alkyl‐substituted alkenes, respectively. It was demonstrated that α‐carbonyl selenocyanates could be used as a synthetic platform in a multicomponent reaction strategy to prepare 2‐phenylimidazo[1,2‐ a ]pyridine derivatives, which were evaluated for their photophysical properties. Overall, this new method provides a useful tool for synthesizing α‐carbonyl selenocyanates, and demonstrates their potential for use in the synthesis of other compounds, thus giving new synthetic opportunities to construct organic selenocyanate compounds.