Direct sulfonylation of anilines mediated by visible light.
Tarn C JohnsonBryony L ElbertAlistair J M FarleyTimothy W GormanChristophe GenicotBénédicte LallemandPatrick PasauJakub FlaszJosé L CastroMalcolm MacCossDarren J DixonRobert S PatonChristopher J SchofieldMartin D SmithMichael C WillisPublished in: Chemical science (2017)
Sulfones feature prominently in biologically active molecules and are key functional groups for organic synthesis. We report a mild, photoredox-catalyzed reaction for sulfonylation of aniline derivatives with sulfinate salts, and demonstrate the utility of the method by the late-stage functionalization of drugs. Key features of the method are the straightforward generation of sulfonyl radicals from bench-stable sulfinate salts and the use of simple aniline derivatives as convenient readily available coupling partners.