Stereodivergent Deacylative Mizoroki–Heck Reaction of Unstrained Ketones

Abstract

Alkene structures represent one of the most functional and widely used in organic synthesis, drug design, and material science. However, developing a practical strategy to produce such high-valued chemicals from widely abundant materials, such as ketones, remains elusive. Herein, we present a stereodivergent deacylative Mizoroki–Heck reaction of methyl ketones and cyclic ketones to furnish both E- and Z-configured alkenes via dual photoredox/cobalt catalysis. Interestingly, the tunable E/Z-selectivity is achieved by energy transfer catalysis via the judicious choice of photocatalyst. This versatile strategy features a broad substrate scope with excellent functional group tolerance and is suitable for late-stage modification of complex molecules and the one-pot operation. It also expands the reaction profiles of both deacylative transformation and photoredox/cobalt catalysis.