Herein, we report a distinctive photoredox/copper
dual-catalyzed
esterification of benzylic C–H bonds through the combination
of photoredox-mediated hydrogen atom transfer and Cu(II)-mediated
radical-polar crossover. This methodology demonstrates a high functional
group tolerance (>40 examples) and moderate to good yields with
structurally
diverse benzylic C–H substrates. Notably, stoichiometric amounts
of carboxylic acids are used as coupling partners, which allows the
synthesis of structurally diverse benzylic esters and the late-stage
functionalization of pharmaceuticals.