Access to ester-substituted γ-butyrolactones via photocatalyzed alkoxycarbonylation/lactonization of alkenoic acids†

Abstract

We reported a versatile and concise method to realize the photoredox-induced alkoxycarbonylative lactonization of alkenoic acids for the construction of ester-substituted γ-butyrolactones. This method achieves a multistep cascade reaction by combining photoinduced alkoxycarbonyl radical addition, single-electron oxidization, and lactonization. The reaction shows good compatibility of functional groups with a diverse range of alkoxycarbonyl radical precursors, enabling the efficient introduction of an ester group into the γ-butyrolactone scaffold.