Metallaphotoredox-catalysed sp³–sp³ cross-coupling of carboxylic acids with alkyl halides

In the past 50 years, cross-coupling reactions mediated by transition metals have changed the way in which complex organic molecules are synthesized. The predictable and chemoselective nature of these transformations has led to their widespread adoption across many areas of chemical research¹. However, the construction of a bond between two sp³-hybridized carbon atoms, a fundamental unit of organic chemistry, remains an important yet elusive objective for engineering cross-coupling reactions². In comparison to related procedures with sp²-hybridized species, the development of methods for sp³–sp³ bond formation via transition metal catalysis has been hampered historically by deleterious side-reactions, such as β-hydride elimination with palladium catalysis or the reluctance of alkyl halides to undergo oxidative addition^3,4. To address this issue, nickel-catalysed cross-coupling processes can be used to form sp³–sp³ bonds that utilize organometallic nucleophiles and alkyl electrophiles^5,6,7. In particular, the coupling of alkyl halides with pre-generated organozinc^8,9, Grignard¹⁰ and organoborane¹¹ species has been used to furnish diverse molecular structures. However, the manipulations required to produce these activated structures is inefficient, leading to poor step- and atom-economies. Moreover, the operational difficulties associated with making and using these reactive coupling partners, and preserving them through a synthetic sequence, has hindered their widespread adoption. A generically useful sp³–sp³ coupling technology that uses bench-stable, native organic functional groups, without the need for pre-functionalization or substrate derivatization, would therefore be valuable. Here we demonstrate that the synergistic merger of photoredox and nickel catalysis enables the direct formation of sp³–sp³ bonds using only simple carboxylic acids and alkyl halides as the nucleophilic and electrophilic coupling partners, respectively. This metallaphotoredox protocol is suitable for many primary and secondary carboxylic acids. The merit of this coupling strategy is illustrated by the synthesis of the pharmaceutical tirofiban in four steps from commercially available starting materials.