Radical C-C Bond Cleavage/Addition Cascade of Benzyl Cycloketone Oxime Ethers Enabled by Photogenerated Cyclic Iminyl Radicals.

A light-driven, metal-free, and iminyl radical-mediated ring-opening C-C bond cleavage/addition cascade of O-4-methoxybenzyl oxime ethers and alkenes is described for the first time. The reaction shows a broad substrate scope and high functional group compatibility with both components, giving the corresponding valuable oxo nitriles in generally good yields. Key to the success of this protocol is the generation of cyclic iminyl radicals from the O-4-methoxybenzyl oxime ethers via a photocatalytic hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) process. The proposed main pathway is also supported by the preliminary mechanistic studies.