Aroylchlorination of 1,6-Dienes via a Photoredox Catalytic Atom-Transfer Radical Cyclization Process

[3 + 2] Annulation of Vinyl Azides with Aldehydes for the Synthesis of 3-Oxazolines via the [CO + CCN] Strategy

Despite the widespread utilizable value of 3-oxazolines, mild and efficient access to such a class of unique structures still remains, to date, a challenge. Herein, we present a [3 + 2] annulation strategy, guided by the retrosynthetic principle of [CO + CCN], that utilizes vinyl azides as the CCN module and aldehydes as the CO module. This approach enables the efficient construction of the 3-oxazoline framework with remarkable features, including operational simplicity, environmental friendliness, and high efficiency. Notably, it solely requires the addition of inexpensive and readily available N-hydroxyphthalimide (NHPI) and air oxygen to obtain the desired product. It also provides a new way to generate the hydroxyl radical, which is produced by the homolysis of peroxycarboxylic acid. In addition, control experiments, X-ray crystallographic analysis, high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), and density functional theory (DFT) calculations afford evidence for the key intermediates (hydroxyl radical, carboxyl radical, imine radical, hydroxyl substituted amide derivatives), further confirming the path for realization of 3-oxazolines.

Nickel/photoredox-catalyzed three-component silylacylation of acrylates via chlorine photoelimination

The extensive utility of organosilicon compounds across a wide range of disciplines has sparked significant interest in their efficient synthesis. Although catalytic 1,2-silyldifunctionalization of alkenes provides a promising method for the assembly of intricate organosilicon frameworks with atom and step economy, its advancement is hindered by the requirement of an external hydrogen atom transfer (HAT) agent in photoredox catalysis. Herein, we disclose an efficient three-component silylacylation of α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds, leveraging a synergistic nickel/photoredox catalysis with various hydrosilanes and aroyl chlorides. This method enables the direct conversion of acrylates into valuable building blocks that contain both carbonyl and silicon functionalities through a single, redox-neutral process. Key to this reaction is the precise activation of the Si-H bond, achieved through chlorine radical-induced HAT, enabled by the photoelimination of a Ni-Cl bond. Acyl chlorides serve a dual role, functioning as both acylating agents and chloride donors. Our methodology is distinguished by its mild conditions and extensive substrate adaptability, significantly enhancing the late-stage functionalization of pharmaceuticals.

Photoredox-Catalyzed Acylchlorination of α-CF3 Alkenes with Acyl Chloride and Application as Masked Access to β-CF3-enones

We disclose a photocatalytic strategy that simultaneously addresses the construction of trifluoromethylated quaternary carbon centers and the preparation of β-CF3-enones through radical difunctionalization of α-CF3 alkenes with acyl chlorides. This method is characterized by its broad functional group compatibility, high efficiency, and atom economy. The versatility of this transformation is poised to broaden the applications of α-CF3 alkenes, providing new pathways for the rapid assembly of structurally diverse fluorinated compounds.

Visible-Light-Initiated Catalyst-Free Radical Annulation Reactions of 1,6-Enynes and Aryl Sulfonyl Bromide to Assemble Sulfonation/Bromination Succinimide Derivatives

In the present study, the environment-friendly visible-light-promoted strategy is used to perform an efficient, simple, and straightforward photocatalytic succinimide derivative synthesis from the reaction of 1,6-enynes and aryl sulfonyl bromide at room temperature under air ambient conditions. This method features mild conditions, broad substrate scope, high yields, and excellent configurational selectivity. In addition, all the atoms of the substrates involved in the reaction converge in the product structures, showing a high atomic economy. Moreover, the most important characteristic of this study is that no photocatalyst and additives are used, while the key factor that triggers the reaction is visible light, indicating that this study has an important practical value.

Photocatalytic Redox-Neutral Alkoxyacylation of Alkenes

β-Alkoxyketones are important building blocks in organic synthesis. By utilizing CBZ6, with an oxidative potential of -2.16 V (vs the saturated calomel electrode), as a redox-neutral photocatalyst, alkoxyacylation of olefins was accomplished under the irradiation of visible light via a cationic intermediate. It involves the addition of an acyl radical to olefin to form a radical intermediate and the following oxidation of the radical intermediate to the benzyl cationic intermediate that is captured by alkoxy anions. This process provides concise and practical access to the β-functionalized ketones.

Photoinduced N-Heterocyclic Nitrenium-Catalyzed Single Electron Reduction of Acyl Fluorides for Phenanthridine Synthesis

Acyl fluorides are versatile reagents in organic synthesis. However, there is no precedent to employ acyl fluorides as acyl radical precursors. We herein report an N-heterocyclic nitrenium iodide salt-catalyzed photoreduction of acyl fluorides to produce acyl radicals, which could react with 2-isocyanobiaryls to afford various carbonyl phenanthridines.

Stereoretentive cross-coupling of chiral amino acid chlorides and hydrocarbons through mechanistically controlled Ni/Ir photoredox catalysis

The direct modification of naturally occurring chiral amino acids to their amino ketone analogs is a significant synthetic challenge. Here, an efficient and robust cross-coupling reaction between chiral amino acid chlorides and unactivated C(sp³)–H hydrocarbons is achieved by a mechanistically designed Ni/Ir photoredox catalysis. This reaction, which proceeds under mild conditions, enables modular access to a wide variety of chiral amino ketones that retain the stereochemistry of the starting amino acids. In-depth mechanistic analysis reveals that the strategic generation of an N-acyllutidinium intermediate is critical for the success of this reaction. The barrierless reduction of the N-acyllutidinium intermediate facilitates the delivery of chiral amino ketones with retention of stereochemistry. This pathway avoids the formation of a detrimental nickel intermediate, which could be responsible for undesirable decarbonylation and transmetalation reactions that limit the utility of previously reported methods.

Chiral α-amino ketones are privileged motifs in bioorganic and medicinal chemistry. Here, the authors develop an efficient method to synthesize these structures via stereoretentive direct cross-coupling of amino acid chlorides with simple aliphatic substrates.

Electrochemical Activation of the C-X Bond on Demand: Access to the Atom Economic Group Transfer Reaction Triggered by Noncovalent Interaction

An atom economic method demonstrates the involvement of noncovalent interaction via hydrogen or halogen bonding interaction in triggering paired electrolysis for the group transfer reactions. Specifically, this method demonstrated the bromination of several aromatic and heteroaromatic compounds through the activation of the C(sp³)-Br bond of organic-bromo derivatives on demand. This electrochemical protocol is mild, and mostly no additional electrolyte is needed, which makes the workup process straightforward. Unlike the existing regioselective monobromination methods, this work utilizes a relatively small amount (1.2 equiv) of bromine surrogates that releases bromine on demand under the electrochemical condition and after completion of the reaction generates acetophenone as a useful byproduct. Green metrics indicate this protocol has a very good atom efficiency with an E-factor of 26.86 kg of waste/1 kg of product. In addition to the scale-up process, this strategy could be extended to the transfer of chlorine and thioaryl units. An extensive mechanistic study is accomplished to validate the hypothesis of noncovalent interaction using computational, spectroscopic, and cyclic voltammetry studies. Finally, the applicability of this newly developed nonbonding interaction to trigger paired electrolysis was extended to the chemoselective debromination of several dihalo organic compounds.

Selective divergent radical cyclization of 1,6-dienes with alkyl nitriles

An efficient, selective, and step economical radical cyclization of 1,6-dienes with alkyl nitriles initiated by α-C(sp³)-H functionalization under the Sc(OTf)₃ and Ag₂CO₃ system is described here. The selective divergent cyclization relies on the substitution effect at the α-position of the acrylamide moiety and nitriles, which is terminated by hydrogen abstraction, direct cyclization with the aryl ring, or further cyclization with the CN bond and hydrolysis, respectively.

Radical Cyclization of 1,n-Enynes and 1,n-Dienes for the Synthesis of 2-Pyrrolidone

2-Pyrrolidones have aroused enormous interest as a useful structural moiety in drug discovery; however, not only does their syntheses suffer from low selectivity and yield, but also it requires high catalyst loadings. The radical cyclization of 1,n-enynes and 1,n-dienes has demonstrated to be an attractive method for the synthesis of 2-pyrrolidones due to its mild reaction conditions, fewer steps, higher atom economy, excellent functional group compatibility, and high regioselectivity. Furthermore, radical receptors with unsaturated bonds (i. e. 1,n-enynes and 1,n-dienes) play a crucial role in realizing radical cyclization because of the ability to selectively introduce one or more radical sources. In this review, we discuss representative examples of methods involving the radical cyclization of 1,n-enynes and 1,n-dienes published in the last five years and discuss each prominent reaction design and mechanism, providing favorable tools for the synthesis of valuable 2-pyrrolidone for a variety of applications.

Cycloisomerization of Carbamoyl Chlorides in Hexafluoroisopropanol: Stereoselective Synthesis of Chlorinated Methylene Oxindoles and Quinolinones

Hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) was employed as an additive for the generation of 3-(chloromethylene)oxindoles via the chloroacylation of alkyne-tethered carbamoyl chlorides. This reaction avoids the use of a metal catalyst and accesses products in high yields and stereoselectivities. Additionally, this reaction is scalable and proved amenable to a series of product derivatizations, including the synthesis of nintedanib. The reactivity of alkene-tethered carbamoyl chlorides with hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) was harnessed towards the synthesis of 2-quinolinones.

Alkoxycarbonyl radicals from alkyloxalyl chlorides: photoinduced synthesis of isoquinolinediones under visible light irradiation

Alkyloxalyl chlorides, generated from alcohols and oxalyl chlorides, are used as alkoxycarbonyl radicals in the reaction of N-acryloyl benzamides under photocatalysis at room temperature.

Radical Carbonylative Synthesis of Heterocycles by Visible Light Photoredox Catalysis

Visible light photocatalytic radical carbonylation has been established as a robust tool for the efficient synthesis of carbonyl-containing compounds. Acyl radicals serve as the key intermediates in these useful transformations and can be generated from the addition of alkyl or aryl radicals to carbon monoxide (CO) or various acyl radical precursors such as aldehydes, carboxylic acids, anhydrides, acyl chlorides or α-keto acids. In this review, we aim to summarize the impact of visible light-induced acyl radical carbonylation reactions on the synthesis of oxygen and nitrogen heterocycles. The discussion is mainly categorized based on different types of acyl radical precursors.

Nickel-catalyzed regio- and diastereoselective hydroarylative and hydroalkenylative cyclization of 1,6-dienes

By using methanol as the hydrogen source and commercially available nickel complex as the catalyst, the hydroarylative and hydroalkenylative cyclization of unsymmetrically substituted 1,6-dienes with organoboronic acid was developed to afford products with high regio- and diastereoselectivities.