Visible-Light-Mediated Ruthenium-Catalyzed para-Selective Alkylation of Unprotected Anilines
Xinyan Lv, Yaohang Cheng, Yingxiao Zong, Qingyun Wang, Guanghui An, Junke Wang, Guangming Li
Abstract
Anilines are important moieties in organic chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and materials science. Although para -selective functionalization of anilides and tertiary anilines is well established, unprotected anilines have posed a challenge. Herein, we report visible-light-mediated Ru(II)-catalyzed para -alkylation of anilines. The distinct Ru(II)–aniline complex enabled the reaction to proceed with extremely high efficiency (2 h) under mild conditions. The good functional group tolerance allowed late-stage functionalization and even aggregation-induced emission luminogen labeling of natural products and drugs. A mechanistic investigation suggests that the Ru(II)–aniline complex is crucial for both triggering the reaction and controlling the para -selectivity.