Photocatalytic Functionalization of Alkenes Using N-Sulfonyl Sulfilimines as Sulfonamidyl Radical Precursors

Abstract

Primary sulfonamides are inexpensive, naturally occurring, and chemically diverse molecules with significant relevance in drug development. In recent years, late-stage functionalization strategies to generate sulfonamidyl radicals from sulfonamides have emerged as a critical focus in synthetic chemistry. Here, we present a complementary method for activating primary sulfonamides to generate sulfilimines, enabling the efficient synthesis of aminoalcohol and imidazoline derivatives via visible-light photoredox catalysis. This approach featured broad functional group compatibility, operational simplicity, and high efficiency.