Visible-light-induced surfactant-promoted sulfonylation of alkenes and alkynes with sulfonyl chloride by the formation of an EDA-complex with NaI in water at room temperature

A green and efficient visible-light-induced iodosulfonyl reaction of alkenes in water using an EDA complex strategy at room temperature has been disclosed. The addition of a cationic surfactant allows for the easy formation of colored EDA complexes in water. The hydrophobic effect of the core in the surfactant aggregates, which act as a reaction medium formed by the surfactants themselves in water, plays a significant role in stabilizing the transition state and decreasing the activation energy of the reaction. Remarkably, transition-metal catalysts and organic solvents were not required in this transformation. Moreover, it displayed a broad substrate scope, good functional group tolerance, simple operation, scalability and high chemical selectivity. Thus, it not only provided a green and efficient synthetic strategy for the preparation of beta-iodo-substituted sulfone derivatives, but also enriched the investigation of visible-light-induced reactions in water.