Catalyst-free decarboxylative cross-coupling of N -hydroxyphthalimide esters with tert -butyl 2-(trifluoromethyl)acrylate and its application.

Here, we demonstrate a practical method toward the facile synthesis of CF 3 -containing amino acids through visible light promoted decarboxylative cross-coupling of a redox-active ester with tert -butyl 2-(trifluoromethyl)acrylate. The reaction was driven by the photochemical activity of electron donor-acceptor (EDA) complexes that were formed by the non-covalent interaction between a Hantzsch ester and a redox-active ester. The advantages of this protocol are its synthetic simplicity, rich functional group tolerance, and a cost-effective reaction system.