Electrocatalytic Generation of Amidyl Radicals for N-Heterocyle Synthesis

Nitrogen-centered radicals are versatile intermediates for the construction of N -heterocycles. Unfortunately, their use in synthesis is limited due to the difficulty associated with their preparation. We have developed electrocatalytic methods for the generation of amidyl radicals from stable and easily available N-H amides 1 . Application of these reactive intermediates in synthesis leads to the efficient and chemoselective construction of several classes of N -heterocycles including cyclic carbamates and ureas, indoles, imidazopyridines, and benzothiazoles. References: 1. Zhu, L.; Xiong, P.; Mao, Z. Y.; Wang, Y. H.; Yan, X.; Lu, X.; Xu, H.-C. Angew. Chem. Int. Ed . 2016 , 55 , 2226. Figure 1