Combining Flavin Photocatalysis and Organocatalysis: Metal-Free Aerobic Oxidation of Unactivated Benzylic Substrates

Deazaflavin reductive photocatalysis involves excited semiquinone radicals

Flavin-mediated photocatalytic oxidations are established in synthetic chemistry. In contrast, their use in reductive chemistry is rare. Deazaflavins with a much lower reduction potential are even better suited for reductive chemistry rendering also deazaflavin semiquinones as strong reductants. However, no direct evidence exists for the involvement of these radical species in reductive processes. Here, we synthesise deazaflavins with different substituents at C5 and demonstrate their photocatalytic activity in the dehalogenation of p-halogenanisoles with best performance under basic conditions. Mechanistic investigations reveal a consecutive photo-induced electron transfer via the semiquinone form of the deazaflavin as part of a triplet-correlated radical pair after electron transfer from a sacrificial electron donor to the triplet state. A second electron transfer from the excited semiquinone to p-halogenanisoles triggers the final product formation. This study provides first evidence that the reductive power of excited deazaflavin semiquinones can be used in photocatalytic reductive chemistry.

Flavins and deazaflavins are well suited for photoredox processes but their application in photoreductions is challenging. Here, the authors provide direct evidence of the high reductive power of excited deazaflavin semiquinones and their application in catalytic photodehalogenations.

An uncommon use of irradiated flavins: Brønsted acid catalysis

We present that thioacetalization of aldehydes can be induced by blue light irradiation in the presence of a catalytic amount of riboflavin tetraacetate (RFTA) under aerobic conditions. Several control experiments have suggested that the reaction is more likely to be catalyzed by acidic species generated in situ upon light irradiation. We have proposed that single electron transfer from a thiol (RSH) to the excited state of RFTA can take place to give a one-electron oxidized thiol (RSH+˙) and the one-electron reduced RFTA (RFTA-˙), which can be trapped by molecular oxygen to be stabilized as Brønsted acids including the protonated RFTA-˙ (RFTAH˙). Finally, we have demonstrated that such acidic species can be prepared in advance as a solution and used as Brønsted acid catalysts for not only thioacetalization but also Mannich-type reactions.

Electrochemistry Broadens the Scope of Flavin Photocatalysis: Photoelectrocatalytic Oxidation of Unactivated Alcohols

Riboflavin-derived photocatalysts have been extensively studied in the context of alcohol oxidation. However, to date, the scope of this catalytic methodology has been limited to benzyl alcohols. In this work, mechanistic understanding of flavin-catalyzed oxidation reactions, in either the absence or presence of thiourea as a cocatalyst, was obtained. The mechanistic insights enabled development of an electrochemically driven photochemical oxidation of primary and secondary aliphatic alcohols using a pair of flavin and dialkylthiourea catalysts. Electrochemistry makes it possible to avoid using O2 and an oxidant and generating H2 O2 as a byproduct, both of which oxidatively degrade thiourea under the reaction conditions. This modification unlocks a new mechanistic pathway in which the oxidation of unactivated alcohols is achieved by thiyl radical mediated hydrogen-atom abstraction.

Visible light mediated oxidative lactonization of 2-methyl-1,1'-biaryls for the synthesis of benzocoumarins

A visible light mediated oxidative lactonization of 2-methyl-1,1'-biaryls was developed, giving benzocoumarins in good yields. The reaction features multiple C-H functionalization processes with oxygen as the final oxidant. The corresponding 2-aldehdyes, alcohols and carboxylic acids of the 1,1'-biaryls also worked well for the reaction.

Flavinium Catalysed Photooxidation: Detection and Characterization of Elusive Peroxyflavinium Intermediates

Flavin-based catalysts are photoactive in the visible range which makes them useful in biology and chemistry. Herein, we present electrospray-ionization mass-spectrometry detection of short-lived intermediates in photooxidation of toluene catalysed by flavinium ions (Fl+ ). Previous studies have shown that photoexcited flavins react with aromates by proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) on the microsecond time scale. For Fl+ , PCET leads to FlH.+ with the H-atom bound to the N5 position. We show that the reaction continues by coupling between FlH.+ and hydroperoxy or benzylperoxy radicals at the C4a position of FlH.+ . These results demonstrate that the N5-blocking effect reported for alkylated flavins is also active after PCET in these photocatalytic reactions. Structures of all intermediates were fully characterised by isotopic labelling and by photodissociation spectroscopy. These tools provide a new way to study reaction intermediates in the sub-second time range.

Efficient Use of Photons in Photoredox/Enamine Dual Catalysis with a Peptide-Bridged Flavin-Amine Hybrid

An isoalloxazine (flavin) ring system and a secondary amine have been integrated through a short peptide linker with the aim of using photons as efficiently as possible in photoredox/enamine dual catalysis. We herein report a peptide-bridged flavin-amine hybrid that can catalyze α-oxyamination of aldehydes with TEMPO under weak blue light irradiation to achieve an extremely high quantum yield of reaction (Φ = 0.80).

Organocatalyzed Aerobic Oxidation of Aldehydes to Acids

The first example organocatalyzed aerobic oxidation of aldehydes to carboxylic acids in both organic solvent and water under mild conditions is developed. As low as 5 mol % N-hydroxyphthalimide was used as the organocatalyst, and molecular O₂ was used as the sole oxidant. No transition metals or hazardous oxidants or cocatalysts were involved. A wide range of carboxylic acids bearing diverse functional groups were obtained from aldehydes, even from alcohols, in high yields.