Here, we report a mild and highly efficient approach to alkyl oxazoles through merging gold/copper catalysis and copper/photoredox catalysis. Various alkyl oxazoles are synthesized from N-propargylamides with alkyl halides in good to excellent yields with wide functional-group compatibility under blue-light irradiation. Significantly, a copper catalyst plays a dual role in this transformation: as a powerful cocatalyst to accelerate protodeauration of vinyl gold intermediates and improve photoredox catalysis.

Multi-substituted 1,2,4-triazoles were obtained via a Cu(OAc)2·H2O-catalyzed aerobic oxidation of amidines with nitriles.

WANG, F.; YOU, Q.; WU, C.; MIN, D.; SHI, T.; KONG, Y.; ZHANG*, W.; RSC Adv. 5 (2015) 96, 78422-78426, http://dx.