Visible light/copper catalysis enabled Heck-like coupling between alkenes and cyclic sulfonium salts via selective C–S bond cleavage

Abstract

Developing new alkyl electrophiles for the construction of C_sp³–C_sp² bonds through a Heck-like coupling is a huge challenge and has attracted great interest in synthetic and medicinal chemistry. In this study, the first example of Heck-like coupling of cyclic sulfonium salts with alkenes via selective C–S bond cleavage using a copper complex as a photosensitizer through a visible-light-driven redox-neutral process is demonstrated. The C–S bond cleavage/Heck-like coupling reaction delivers a variety of corresponding internal alkenes containing aryl alkyl thioethers with good functional group tolerance. This strategy will further expand the new reaction modes of sulfonium salts and provide new insights into the construction of C_sp³–C_sp² bonds.