Decarboxylative Halogenation of Aliphatic Carboxylic Acids Catalyzed by Iron Salts under Visible Light.

In this article, we report a general protocol for the direct decarboxylative chlorination, iodination, and bromination of aliphatic carboxylic acids catalyzed by iron salts under visible light. This method enjoys a broad substrate scope with good functional group compatibility, including complex natural products. Benzylic and allylic C(sp3)-H bonds can be retained under the oxidative halogenation conditions. This method also shows application potential for late-stage functionalization. A general method of visible light-induced decarboxylative halogenation of aliphatic carboxylic acids catalyzed by iron is developed.