Generation of Sulfamoyl Radical for the Modular Synthesis of Sulfonamides

Efficient synthesis of sulfonamides has long been pursued by chemists due to their frequent occurrence in pharmaceuticals, especially in anti-inflammatory medicines. The traditional assembly from sulfonyl chlorides and amines, as well as the recently developed one-step synthesis of sulfonamides involving sulfur dioxide, still faces challenges such as poor substrate compatibility and/or stringent reaction conditions. Herein, we present a strategy for the in situ generation of sulfamoyl radicals for the one-step modular synthesis of both alkenyl and alkyl sulfonamides with wide substrate applicability (>100 examples), mild reaction conditions, and easily accessible starting materials. This method is successfully applied to the late-stage modification of drug molecules (23 examples), the one-step synthesis of the drug molecule naratriptan, and the 15N-labeling of sulfonamides.