Copper-catalyzed visible-light-induced ring-opening carbonylation of sulfonium salts

Herein, we developed a direct and effective strategy for the synthesis of sulfur-containing carboxylic acid derivatives through copper/visible light catalyzed ring-opening carbonylation of sulfonium salts. The protocol employs photoredox to promote the selective cleavage of sulfonium salts C(sp3)-S bond, while performing sequential functionalization to form vicinal C–C and C-X (X = O or N) bonds in the presence of carbon monoxide and nucleophiles. A variety of substrates were successfully transformed into the desired carbonylated products in moderate to good yields with good functional group tolerance and excellent chemoselectivity. Importantly, this approach can be easily extended to late-stage modification of bioactive molecules.