Decarboxylative Photoaddition of 3-Butenoate Anion to 1-Methyl-2-phenyl-1-pyrrolinium Perchlorate via Electron-transfer Reaction

The photolysis of 1-methyl-2-phenyl-1-pyrrolinium perchlorate (1) with a 3-butenoate anion in an aqueous solution efficiently gives a 2-allylpyrrolidine adduct. Mechanistic studies demonstrate that the photo-reaction is induced by a one-electron transfer from 3-butenoate to the singlet excited-state of 1.