Visible‐Light‐Induced Copper‐Catalyzed Alkylation/exo‐Cyclization of 1,7‐Dienes with Sulfonium Salts to Access Sulfur‐Containing Polycyclic Compounds

Abstract

A direct visible‐light‐promoted radical‐triggered tandem cyclization of 1,7‐diene systems with cyclic sulfonium salts by using copper(I)‐based complexes as photoredox catalyst is developed. With this approach, a variety of sulfur‐containing polycyclic derivatives are prepared through alkylation/6‐exo‐trig cyclization/5‐exo‐trig cyclization of 1,7‐diene systems under mild conditions. In addition, the photoinduced copper‐catalyzed ring‐opening of cyclic sulfonium salts provides the alkyl radical intermediates, which prefers addition to the Ph‐linked C‐C double bond rather than the electron‐deficient vinyl in 1,7‐dienes. Moreover, oxidation of the desire sulfur‐containing polycyclic products provides a strategy for the preparation of remote nitrogen‐fused polycyclic substituted sulfoxide or sulfone‐containing derivatives.