Traceless Aminoalkyl Radical-Induced Halogen-Atom Transfer for Minisci Reactions

Halogen-atom transfer (XAT) provides a viable strategy to convert alkyl halides into the corresponding carbon radicals, but the usage of equivalent XAT reagents and excess oxidants is usually inevitable. Herein, we present a traceless aminoalkyl radical-induced XAT process for the Minisci reaction, especially without the participation of excess XAT reagents under redox-neutral conditions. Mechanistic experiments indicated that the formation of comparable aminoalkyl radicals occurred through the single-electron transfer reduction of protonated heteroaromatics, differing from the conventional oxidation process of amines used to generate α-aminoalkyl radicals.