Visible-light induced tandem radical cyanomethylation and cyclization of N-aryl acrylamides: access to cyanomethylated oxindoles

A visible-light induced cyanomethylation of N-aryl acrylamides with bromoacetonitrile followed by intramolecular cyclization has been explored. This transformation exhibits a wide substrate scope and significant functional group tolerance, providing a facile synthetic approach and highly efficient access to cyanomethylated oxindoles.