Visible-light-mediated selenocyclization of o-vinylanilides with diselenides

Abstract

Herein, we describe a visible-light-mediated selenocyclization of o-vinylanilides with diselenides, which provides a mild and effective method for the synthesis of selenylated 4H-3,1-benzoxazines. This reaction proceeds under metal-free conditions, without the need for a chemical oxidant or a controlled O₂ atmosphere and shows a broad substrate scope with yields of up to 98%. Additionally, the process is easily scalable to the gram scale.