Mild and Functional Group-Tolerant Aerobic N -Dealkylation of Tertiary Amines Promoted by Photoredox Catalysis.

This article describes the development of a mild method for the N -dealkylation of tertiary amines via photoredox catalysis and its application in late-stage functionalization. Using the developed method, more than 30 diverse aliphatic, aniline-type, and complex substrates are shown to undergo N -dealkylation, providing a method with broader functional group tolerance compared to methods found in the literature. The scope also includes tertiary and secondary amine molecules with complex substructures and drug substrates. Interestingly, α-oxidation to imines was observed in several cyclic substructures instead of N -dealkylation, suggesting that imines are relevant reaction intermediates.