Visible light-mediated 1,2-difunctionalization reactions involving 4-cyanopyridines

Abstract

Pyridines are important heterocycles widely existing in natural products, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and functional materials. Pyridines also serve as versatile synthetic building blocks for complex pyridines, as well as important ligands for transition metals. Over the past few years, 4-cyanopyridine has been successfully utilized for photocatalyzed 1,2-difunctionalization of alkenes. Hence, this review highlights multicomponent reactions involving 4-cyanopyridines and discusses their mechanistic insights.