Visible Light Induced C2 Alkylation of 2H-Benzoxazoles with Cycloalkanes and Ethers via Selectfluor-Mediated Oxidation

An efficient selectfluor-oxidative protocol was developed for the direct C2-alkylation of 2H-benzoxazoles with cycloalkanes and ethers. Selectfluor can effectively promote the oxidative cross-coupling without an external catalyst under the visible light irradiation at room temperature. This alkylation reaction tolerates a wide range of functional groups affording 48 examples of the C2-alkylated 2H-benzoxazoles in moderate to good yields.