Recent advances in visible-light-mediated amide synthesis

Abstract

Visible-light photoredox catalysis has attracted tremendous interest within the synthetic community. As such, the activation mode potentially provides a more sustainable and efficient platform for the activation of organic molecules, enabling the invention of many controlled radical-involved reactions under mild conditions. In this context, amide synthesis via the strategy of photoredox catalysis has received growing interest due to the ubiquitous presence of this structural motif in numerous natural products, pharmaceuticals and functionalized materials. Employing this strategy, a wide variety of amides can be prepared effectively from halides, arenes and even alkanes under irradiation of visible light. These methods provide a robust alternative to well-established strategies for amide synthesis that involve condensation between a carboxylic acid and amine mediated by a stoichiometric activating agent. In this review, the representative progresses made on the synthesis of amides through visible light-mediated radical reactions are summarized.