Metalloradical approach for concurrent control in intermolecular radical allylic C-H amination

Although they offer great potentials, the high reactivity and diverse pathways of radical chemistry pose difficult problems for applications in organic synthesis. In addition to the differentiation of multiple competing pathways, the control of various selectivities in radical reactions presents both formidable challenges and great opportunities. To regulate chemoselectivity and regioselectivity, as well as diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity, calls for the formulation of conceptually new approaches and fundamentally different governing principles. Here we show that Co(II)-based metalloradical catalysis enables the radical chemoselective intermolecular amination of allylic C-H bonds through the employment of modularly designed D₂-symmetric chiral amidoporphyrins with a tunable pocket-like environment as the supporting ligand. The reaction exhibits a remarkable convergence of regioselectivity, diastereoselectivity and enantioselectivity in a single catalytic operation. In addition to demonstrating the unique opportunities of metalloradical catalysis in controlling homolytic radical reactions, the Co(II)-catalysed convergent C-H amination offers a route to synthesize valuable chiral α-tertiary amines directly from an isomeric mixture of alkenes.