Iminyl Radicals by Reductive Cleavage of N–O Bond in Oxime Ether Promoted by SmI2: A Straightforward Synthesis of Five-Membered Cyclic Imines

A new generation method of N-centered radicals from the reductive cleavage of the N-O bond in oxime ether promoted by SmI2 is reported for the first time. The in-situ-generated N-centered radicals underwent intramolecular cyclization to afford five-membered cyclic imines in two manners: N-centered radical addition and N-centered anion nucleophilic substitution. From a synthetic point of view, an efficient synthetic method of five-membered cyclic imines was developed. A mechanism of the transformation was proposed.