Jinhui Cai, Wenting Zhang, Zijing Xing, Wei Zhang, Depeng Yang, Yutao Peng, Zi Yang, Mingming Yu, Feng Zhao
A straightforward and sustainable platform for the efficient assembly of selenylated pyridones with pyridones and diselenides enabled by a cheap and green bromide catalyst was successfully reported. This method was highlighted by its readily available starting materials, metal-free, stoichiometric oxidant-free, simple catalytic system, and wide functional group compatibility. The potential synthetic utility of this strategy was demonstrated by its scalable-up reaction and diverse transformations. The preliminary mechanistic experiments revealed that a radical pathway was possibly involved.