Light-induced decarboxylative arylation was established by using readily available carboxylic acids and (hetero)aryl nitriles under alkaline conditions, without the need for photocatalysts, transition metals and oxidants. Preliminary mechanistic investigations demonstrated that the alkyl radical was generated through an electron donor–acceptor complex formed between carboxylates and aryl nitriles. Consequently, direct light irradiation of this complex yielded a diverse array of valuable 1,1-diaryl derivatives and benzylic amine derivatives in good to excellent yields.
