In the last few years, the photo-redox process via single-electron transfer (SET) has received substantial attention for the synthesis of targeted organic compounds due to its environmental friendliness and sustainability. Of late visible-light-mediated difunctionalization of alkenes has gained much attention because of its step economy, which allows the consecutive installation of two functional groups across the C=C bond in a single operation. The construction of N-containing compounds has always been important in organic synthesis. Molecules containing C-N bonds are found in many building blocks and are important precursors to other functional groups. Meanwhile, C-N bond formation via the addition of the C=C double bond is gaining prominence. Therefore, considering the influence and synthetic potential of the C-N bond, here we provide a summary of the state of the art on visible-light-driven difunctionalizations of alkene. We hope that the construction of the C-N bond via visible-light-mediated difunctionalization of alkenes will be useful for medicinal and synthetic organic chemists and will inspire further reaction development in this interesting area.
Synthesis of (Z)-Cinnamate Derivatives via Visible-Light-Driven E-to-Z Isomerization
