Herein, we describe
a visible-light-induced radical strategy for
the 1,2-formylarylation of N-arylacrylamides via
the C–H activation of 1,3-dioxolane using a carbazolic-cyano
conjugated microporous polymer (CC-CMP) as a metal-free photocatalyst.
This process provides an efficient and mild approach for constructing
highly functionalized formyl-substituted oxindoles, which are valuable
building blocks that allow rapid access to various important heterocycle-fused
and spirocyclic indole alkaloids. Utilizing this strategy, bioactive
alkaloids, such as (±)-desoxyeseroline, (±)-esermethole,
and (±)-N-Me-coerulescine, have been concisely
synthesized in up to 74% overall yield from low-cost acrylamides and
1,3-dioxolane. The overall yields of our approach are much higher
than those of conventional multistep methods. Gram-scale syntheses
of natural alkaloids have been demonstrated, highlighting the practical
utility of this protocol. The use of CC-CMP photocatalysts, which
are metal-free, flexible, stable, effective, and reusable, making
this strategy appealing to advanced chemical manufacturing.