Photo-induced decarboxylative coupling reaction between aliphatic N-hydroxyphthalimide esters and terminal 2-trifluoromethylalkenes†

Driven by our recent medicinal chemistry research, we have investigated the coupling reaction between aliphatic N-hydroxyphthalimide esters and terminal 2-trifluoromethylalkenes. This reaction was driven by the photochemical activity of the electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complex. The reaction's efficiency hinges on the olefin's electronic effect, with electron-withdrawing groups yielding much better results. Furthermore, this reaction is also applicable to trifluoromethyl alkyl alkenes, enabling the synthesis of target products in moderate yields. By employing this method, we successfully synthesized a series of bioactive molecules, among which compounds 3k, 3l and 3m demonstrated robust antitumor activity against both A549 and SK-hep-1 cancer cell lines.