Visible-light-induced regioselective N-oxazolidinone radical addition to indoles and arenes via EDA complex formation

We report the generation of N-oxazolidinone radicals via electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complex formation. Visible light irradiation of pyridinium-based radical precursors, either in the presence or in the absence of NaHCO3, enables a mild, regioselective and operationally simple N-arylation, providing direct access to N-aryloxazolidin-2-ones. The transformation can be easily converted into a continuous flow process, providing improved productivity over the corresponding batch reaction.