Cobalt-catalyzed synthesis of 1,4-diamides from alkynes promoted by light

1,4-diamides are useful chemical structures that appear in various biologically relevant organic compounds. They are commonly prepared using amide coupling reagents or precious metal catalysts. Due to the low sustainability or affordability of these methods, alternative ways to synthesize 1,4-diamides are desirable. Using an earth-abundant, first-row transition metal catalyst holds promise, but general methods remain undeveloped. Herein, we report the cobalt-catalyzed double hydroaminocarbonylation of alkynes to synthesize 1,4-diamides. This reaction is catalyzed by an unmodified cobalt carbonyl catalyst and proceeds under mild conditions aided by visible light irradiation. A broad substrate scope with respect to both the alkyne and amine components is displayed. Unsymmetric 1,4-diamides were synthesized in near perfect regioselectivities by use of two different amine nucleophiles as well.