Selective photochemical reduction of nitroarenes to N-arylhydroxylamines with γ-terpinene

Abstract

The preparation of N-arylhydroxylamines (N-AHAs) by photochemical reduction of nitroarenes has been presented. Herein, N-AHAs were obtained by selective transformation of nitroarenes under irradiation of 413 nm LEDs at room temperature. Plant-derived γ-terpinene was employed as the hydrogen source. Notably, extra catalysts or additives are not required. This protocol exhibits broad scope of substrates, excellent tolerance of functional groups, high yields and selectivity. Moreover, successful applications of N-AHAs also demonstrate the practicality of this methodology.