Photocatalytic Anti-Markovnikov Radical Hydro- and Aminooxygenation of Unactivated Alkenes Tuned by Ketoxime Carbonates.

Abstract

Reported here is a tunable photocatalytic protocol for anti-Markovnikov hydro- and aminooxygenation of unactivated alkenes by using readily accessible ketoxime carbonates as the diverse functionalization reagents. Mechanism studies reveal that this reaction is initiated through an energy transfer promoted N-O bond homolysis of ketoxime carbonates leading to alkoxylcarbonyloxyl and iminyl radicals under visible light photocatalysis, followed by the addition of alkoxylcarbonyloxyl radical to alkenes. By taking advantage of the different stability of iminyl radicals, the generated carbon radical either abstracts a hydrogen atom from the media to form the anti-Markovnikov hydrooxygenation product or trapped by the persistent iminyl radical to furnish the aminooxygenation product. Notably, this is the first example of direct hydrooxygenation of unactivated olefins with anti-Markovnikov regioselectivity involving an oxygen-centred radical.