Selective C–N Bond Cleavage in Unstrained Pyrrolidines Enabled by Lewis Acid and Photoredox Catalysis

Cleavage of inert C–N bonds in unstrained azacycles such as pyrrolidine remains a formidable challenge in synthetic chemistry. To address this, we introduce an effective strategy for the reductive cleavage of the C–N bond in N-benzoyl pyrrolidine, leveraging a combination of Lewis acid and photoredox catalysis. This method involves single-electron transfer to the amide, followed by site-selective cleavage at the C2–N bond. Cyclic voltammetry and NMR studies demonstrated that the Lewis acid is crucial for promoting the single-electron transfer from the photoredox catalyst to the amide carbonyl group. This protocol is widely applicable to various pyrrolidine-containing molecules and enables inert C–N bond cleavage including C–C bond formation via intermolecular radical addition. Furthermore, the current protocol successfully converts pyrrolidines to aziridines, γ-lactones, and tetrahydrofurans, showcasing its potential of the inert C–N bond cleavage for expanding synthetic strategies.