A visible-light mediated three-component radical process using dithiocarbamate anion catalysis† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Complete experimental procedures and full compound characterization. CCDC 1894404 (4a) contains the supplementary crystallographic data for this paper. CCDC 1894404. For ESI and crystallographic data in CIF or other electronic format see DOI: 10.1039/c9sc00833k

A three-component radical process is reported that, by coupling alkyl chlorides, maleimides, and heteroaromatic fragments, installs multiple biologically relevant heterocycles within complex cascade products. This method, which generates radicals via an S N 2-based photochemical catalytic mechanism, activates substrates incompatible with or inert to classical radical-generating strategies. We report a photoinduced three-component radical process, which couples readily available alkyl chlorides, maleimides, and heteroaromatic fragments to rapidly generate complex chiral products with high diastereocontrol. This method generates radicals via an S N 2-based photochemical catalytic mechanism, which is not reliant on the redox properties of the precursors. It therefore grants access to open-shell intermediates from substrates that would be incompatible with or inert to classical radical-generating strategies. The redox-neutral conditions of this process make it tolerant of redox-sensitive substrates and allow the installation of multiple biologically relevant heterocycles within the cascade products.