Decarboxylative halogenation of aliphatic carboxylic acids catalyzed by iron salts under visible light.

In this article, we report a general protocol for the direct decarboxylative chlorination, iodination, and bromination of aliphatic carboxylic acids catalyzed by iron salts under visible light. This method enjoys a broad substrate scope with good functional group compatibility, including complex natural products. Benzylic and allylic C(sp 3 )-H bonds can be retained under the oxidative halogenation conditions. This method also shows application potential for late-stage functionalization.