Synthesis of Quinoxalines through Cu-electrocatalytic Azidation/Annulation Cascade at Low Catalyst Loading.

A Cu-electrocatalytic azidation of -aryl enamines and subsequent denitrogenative annulation for the construction of quinoxaline frameworks is reported. Only 0.5 mol % of copper(II) chloride was employed for this cascade transformation displaying excellent functional-group compatibility even with complex bioactive scaffolds. The efficient electro-oxidative protocol enables the use of NaN as the cheapest azide source. Detailed mechanistic experiments, cyclic voltammetry, and spectroscopic studies provided strong evidence for a dual role of the Cu catalyst in azidyl and iminyl radical generation steps.