Photocatalytic Regioselective Hydrofunctionalization of 1,4-Diaryl-1,3-butadienes Using O-, N-, and C-Nucleophiles

The hydrofunctionalization of 1,3-dienes is a challenging task especially with respect to controlling the regioselectivity of the corresponding adducts. Although various hydrofunctionalization approaches have already been developed, nucleophiles are often unselectively introduced at the C1- and C2-positions of 1,3-dienes. Here, we report a new methodology for the photocatalytic regioselective hydrofunctionalization of 1,4-diaryl-1,3-butadienes in the presence of a photocatalyst under blue LED irradiation. O-, N-, and C-nucleophiles are regioselectively introduced at the C1-position of 1,4-diaryl-1,3-butadienes to furnish the corresponding allylic (1,4-adducts) and homoallylic (1,2-adducts) derivatives as the major products. Moreover, the resultant mixture of 1,4-adducts and 1,2-adducts can be convergently transformed into a single reduced compound via hydrogenation.