Dearomative Alkylation of Heteroarenium Salts via Blue Light Enabled Homolytic C–C Bond Cleavage

Alkyl substituted nitrogen heterocycles are important building blocks in drug molecules, agrochemicals and materials. Herein we report a simple and efficient way to prepare such compounds by coupling alkylhalides with heteroarenium salts. Detailed experimental and computational studies indicate that this reaction goes through a radical coupling and avoids formation of undesired homocoupling of heteroarenium salts but recycling such dimers through C-C bond cleavage under blue light.