Lewis Acid-Conjugated Pyrene Photoredox Catalyst Promoting the Addition Reaction of α-Silyl Amines with Benzalmalononitriles.

We developed the addition reaction of α-silyl amines with benzalmalononitriles catalyzed by a Mg-conjugated pyrene catalyst under visible light irradiation. The catalytic activity of this complex was higher than pyrene alone, a Mg Lewis acid alone, and the sum of these two independent catalytic elements. The observed enhancement in catalytic activity was likely due to electrostatic interactions of the Mg Lewis acid with the pyrene radical anion, which was generated through photoinduced single electron transfer from α-silyl amines to the catalyst's pyrene moiety.