Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalyst- and Additive-Free Cross-Coupling of β-Ketothioamides with α-Diazo 1,3-Diketones: Access to Highly Functionalized Thiazolines

A photocatalyst- and additive-free, visible-light-mediated chemoselective domino protocol was devised to access fully substituted thiazoline derivatives from β-ketothioamides and α-diazo 1,3-diketones at moderate temperature in open air. The reaction proceeds through in situ generation of electrophilic carbenes from α-diazo 1,3-diketones by a low-energy blue LED (448 nm), which undergoes selective coupling with nucleophilic β-ketothioamides to give thiazolines by successive formation of C-S and C-N bonds in one stretch. Notably, the benign and clean conditions, operational simplicity, sustainability, 100 % carbon economy, high yields, and wide functional-group tolerance are further attributes of the strategy. A mechanistic rationale for this cascade reaction sequence is well supported by control experiments.