Additive‐Free Visible‐Light‐Initiated Three‐Component Cyanation and Azidation

A simple and green visible-light-initiated strategy for the installation of cyano and azido groups has been established through multi-component reaction of alpha-diazoesters, cyclic ethers and TMSCN/TMSN3. A number of structurally diverse organic nitriles and azides could be efficiently obtained at room temperature without adding any external metal reagent, strong oxidant, base and photocatalyst. The synthetic transformations of the reaction products to some functionalized molecules were carried out to highlight the potential utility of this method.