Photoinduced Metal-Free α‑C(sp3)–H Carbamoylation of Saturated Aza-Heterocycles via Rationally Designed Organic Photocatalyst

Herein, we report a general strategy for the rational design of an efficient organic photocatalyst, and we describe a robust method for the direct C­(sp3)–H carbamoylation of saturated aza-heterocycles under mild conditions by using a naphthalimide (NI)-based organic photocatalyst. This protocol provides a concise and practical approach for the rapid installation of a valuable amide bond onto pharmaceutically useful saturated aza-heterocycles to access a wide range of cyclic α-amino amides. A series of mechanism investigations have demonstrated this transformation undergoes a visible-light photocatalytic, oxidative Ugi reaction process.本文报道了一种用于高效有机光催化剂理性设计的通用策略，并介绍了一种在温和条件下，采用基于萘二甲酰亚胺（naphthalimide, NI）的有机光催化剂实现饱和氮杂环直接C(sp³)-H氨基甲酰化的稳健方法。该策略为在具有药用价值的饱和氮杂环上快速引入具有应用价值的酰胺键，进而获得一系列环状α-氨基酰胺类化合物提供了简洁实用的途径。一系列机理研究表明，该转化过程属于可见光催化氧化型乌吉（Ugi）反应。