Visible-Light-Promoted Hydroxyalkylation of Heterocycles with α-Oxocarboxylic Acids

We herein report the Minisci-type redox-neutral decarboxylative hydroxyalkylation of heteroarenes under photocatalyst- and transition-metal-free conditions. This methodology tolerates various functional groups that can be subsequently elaborated. Upon absorption of photons, the excited state of the α-oxocarboxylic acid forms an acyl radical, which adds to the protonated heteroarene to give the desired product after a spin center shift (SCS), reduction, and deprotonation. The heteroarene serves not only as a substrate in this coupling reaction but possibly also as an electron transfer agent.