A catechol-catalyzed photocatalytic carbonylative four-component reaction of alkylboronic acids with aldehydes and amines†

Carbonylation reactions employing CO as an easily accessible Cl source have emerged as one of the most powerful tools for constructing carbonyl-containing compounds from readily available starting materials. Despite the impressive achievements on carbonylative transformations, a fundamental limitation of these approaches lies in their reliance on transition metal catalysis or a stoichiometric amount of activating reagents. Herein, we report the first photo-induced catechol-catalyzed four-component carbonylation reaction of alkylboronic acids with aldehydes and amines. A range of valuable substituted α-amino ketones was produced in moderate to good yields.