Visible-light-promoted oxidative halogenation of (hetero)arenes

Abstract

Organic halides are critical building blocks that participate in various cross-coupling reactions. Furthermore, they widely exist as natural products and artificial molecules in drugs with important physiological activities. Although halogenation has been well studied, to the best of our knowledge, studies focussing on sensitive systems (e.g. aryl amines) have not been reported. Herein, we describe a compatible oxidative halogenation of (hetero)arenes with air as the oxidant and halide ions as halide sources under ambient conditions (visible light, air, aqueous system, room temperature, and normal pressure). Moreover, this protocol is practically feasible for gram-scale synthesis, showing potential for industrial application.