Visible-Light Induced Dehydrogenative Cross-Coupling of Enamides with Hydrocarbons Enabled by Aryl Thianthrenium Salt

Herein, we present a photocatalytic β-C(sp²)-H alkylation of enamides with easily accessible hydrocarbons under mild conditions. The utilization of aryl thianthrenium salt as a hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) precursor enables the smooth generation of diverse carbon-centered radicals from chemical feedstocks containing hydridic or protic C-H bonds. Noteworthy features of this protocol encompass high step efficiency, good functional group compatibility, and excellent chemo-, regio-, and stereoselectivity. Mechanistic experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations support the involvement of an electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complex.