Mechanistic insights into photo-induced, copper-catalyzed alkylations of amines

Abstract

Photoinduced, copper-catalyzed cross-couplings have emerged as an attractive class of lightdriven transformations to construct carbon-nitrogen bonds in recent years. Despite the broadening scope with respect to coupling partners, the understanding of the operating mechanisms has been limited to date. Herein, a mechanistic investigation of a photoinduced, copper-catalyzed cross-coupling of amines and alkyl halides, including spectroscopic evidence for a copper intermediate, is presented.