β-Selective Reductive Coupling of Alkenylpyridines with Aldehydes and Imines via Synergistic Lewis Acid/Photoredox Catalysis

Umpolung (polarity reversal) strategies of aldehydes and imines have dramatically expanded the scope of carbonyl and iminyl chemistry by facilitating reactions with non-nucleophilic reagents. Herein, we report the first visible light photoredox-catalyzed β-selective reductive coupling of alkenylpyridines with carbonyl or iminyl derivatives with the aid of a Lewis acid co-catalyst. Our process tolerates complex molecular scaffolds (e.g., sugar, natural product, and peptide derivatives) and is applicable to the preparation of compounds containing a broad range of heterocyclic moieties. Mechanistic investigations indicate that the key step involves single-electron-transfer reduction of aldehydes or imines followed by the addition of resulting ketyl or α-aminoalkyl radicals to Lewis acid-activated alkenylpyridines.