Acetal Addition to Electron-Deficient Alkenes with Hydrogen Atom Transfer as a Radical Chain Propagation Step

J Org Chem. 2021 Feb 19;86(4):3674-3682. doi: 10.1021/acs.joc.0c03044. Epub 2021 Feb 4.

Abstract

We describe a visible-light-promoted addition of a hydrogen atom and an acetal carbon toward various electron-deficient alkenes. 1,3-Dioxolane is converted to its radical species in the presence of persulfate and an iridium catalyst upon visible light irradiation, which then reacts with electron-deficient alkenes. The reaction operates via a radical chain mechanism, a less commonly observed pathway for this class of transformation. Hydrogen atom transfer from 1,3-dioxolane to α-malonyl radicals is corroborated by experimental and density functional theory studies.