Diastereoselective Oxidative C-N/C-O and C-N/C-N Bond Formation Tandems Initiated by Visible Light: Synthesis of Fused N-Arylindolines

Visible-Light-Induced Multicomponent Synthesis of γ-Amino Esters with Diazo Compounds

A visible-light-induced multicomponent reaction of ethyl diazoacetate, diarylamines, and styrene-type alkenes is described. This novel 1,2-difunctionalization of alkenes can be readily achieved under a simple operation and mild conditions, affording γ-amino esters as major products. The reaction proceeds through the generation of carbon-centered radicals from diazo compounds by a visible-light-promoted proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) process. The carbon radicals then add to diverse alkenes, delivering new carbon radical species, and the final products are formed with N-centered radicals via a radical-radical coupling.

Visible-light-mediated cascade cyanoalkylsulfonylation/cyclization of alkynoates leading to coumarins via SO2 insertion

A visible-light-mediated cascade cyanoalkylsulfonylation/cyclization of alkynoates with cycloketone oxime compounds for the preparation of 3-cyanoalkylsulfonylcoumarins via SO₂ insertion is reported.

C-H Borylation of Diphenylamines through Adamantane-1-carbonyl Auxiliary by BBr3

A method for ortho-C-H borylation of diphenylamines using BBr₃ as the boron source has been reported. The noncatalytic adamantane-1-carbonyl directed reaction exhibited site exclusivity and good functional group tolerance. Generally, the borylation occurred at the more electron-rich aromatic ring and the borylated products could be converted to various useful intermediates. Besides, the derived arylation and removal of auxiliary of the product could be achieved in a one-pot fashion.

Oxidative cascade cyclization of 2-cyano-3-arylaniline derived acrylamides with toluenes, ethers, aliphatic alcohols or simple alkanes

Oxidative radical cascade cyclization of 2-cyano-3-arylaniline derived acrylamides with a variety of hydrocarbons including toluenes, ethers, aliphatic alcohols and alkanes has been developed to construct alkyl substituted pyridophenanthridines.

Decarboxylative cascade cyclization of α-keto acids with 2-cyano-3-arylaniline-derived acrylamides

An oxidative decarboxylative cascade cyclization of α-keto acids with 2-cyano-3-arylaniline-derived acrylamides delivering carbonyl-containing pyrido[4,3,2-gh]phenanthridines is presented.

Photocatalysis in organic and polymer synthesis

This review, with over 600 references, summarizes the recent applications of photoredox catalysis for organic transformation and polymer synthesis. Photoredox catalysts are metallo- or organo-compounds capable of absorbing visible light, resulting in an excited state species. This excited state species can donate or accept an electron from other substrates to mediate redox reactions at ambient temperature with high atom efficiency. These catalysts have been successfully implemented for the discovery of novel organic reactions and synthesis of added-value chemicals with an excellent control of selectivity and stereo-regularity. More recently, such catalysts have been implemented by polymer chemists to post-modify polymers in high yields, as well as to effectively catalyze reversible deactivation radical polymerizations and living polymerizations. These catalysts create new approaches for advanced organic transformation and polymer synthesis. The objective of this review is to give an overview of this emerging field to organic and polymer chemists as well as materials scientists.

Recent advances in radical-based C–N bond formation via photo-/electrochemistry

This review highlights the recent advances in cross-dehydrogenative amination for C–N bond construction from C–H/N–H cross-coupling partners through photocatalytic and/or electronic techniques.

The Prowess of Photogenerated Amine Radical Cations in Cascade Reactions: From Carbocycles to Heterocycles

Cascade reactions represent a class of ideal organic reactions because they empower efficiency, elegance, and novelty. However, development of cascade reactions remains a daunting task for synthetic chemists. Radicals are known to be well suited for cascade reactions. Compared with widely used carbon-based radicals, nitrogen-based radicals, such as neutral aminyl radicals and protonated aminyl radicals (amine radical cations), are underutilized, although they are behind some notable synthetic methods such as the Hofmann-Löffler-Freytag reaction. The constraint on their usage is generally attributed to the limited number of available stable precursors. Since amine radical cations offer increased reactivity and selectivity in chemical transformations compared with neutral aminyl radicals, their generation is of utmost importance. Recently, a surge of reports has been revealed using visible light photoredox catalysis. It has been demonstrated that amines can act as an electron donor in a reductive quenching cycle while the amine itself is oxidized to the amine radical cation. Although a number of methods exist to generate amine radical cations, the photochemical formation of these species offers many practical advantages. In this Account, we discuss our journey to the development of annulation reactions with various π-bonds and electrophilic addition reactions to alkenes using photogenerated amine radical cations. Various carbocycles and heterocycles are produced by these reactions. In our annulation work, we first show that single electron photooxidation of cyclopropylanilines to the amine radical cations triggers ring opening of the strained carbocycle, producing distonic radical cations. These odd-electron species are shown to react with alkenes and alkynes to yield the corresponding cyclopentanes and cyclopentenes in an overall redox neutral process. Further development of this annulation reaction allows us to achieve the [4 + 2] annulation of cyclobutylanilines with alkynes. In our work on electrophilic addition reactions to alkenes, we reveal that photogenerated amine radical cations are capable of undergoing the electrophilic addition reactions to alkenes to form a variety of indoles and indolines. This chemistry represents a rare oxidative C-N bond-forming reaction using visible light. Conclusions drawn from observational results and proposed mechanisms are outlined in this Account. Additionally, open discussion of our successes and deficiencies in our experiences will give readers helpful insights as to how these species tend to react. The overall utility of photogenerated amine radical cations has yet to reach its full potential. With our current results, we anticipate more new transformations can still be derived from the ring opening processes of cyclopropylanilines and cyclobutylanilines under visible light photocatalysis. Additionally, since utilizing photogenerated amine radical cations in C-N bond-forming reactions has practically been absent in literature, we are confident more new reactions have yet been exploited.

New amination strategies based on nitrogen-centered radical chemistry

The interesting and diverse biological activities of nitrogen-containing compounds make the construction of the C-N bond of great importance. Despite the tremendous advances that have been made in this research field, C-N bond formation based on nitrogen-centered radicals remains a significant challenge due to the harsh conditions required for the generation of nitrogen-centered radicals and their propensity for hydrogen abstraction or engaging in other degradation pathways. In the past several years, novel methodologies for C-N bond constructions based on nitrogen centered-radical intermediates, coordinated with metal or generated in the presence of visible-light and a photocatalyst, have attracted considerable attention. This tutorial review will summarize the significant progress of these efficient and mild radical amination reactions, with an emphasis on approaches for the generation of nitrogen-centered radicals and their reaction patterns, related mechanisms and synthetic applications, as well as unmet challenges in this emerging and promising field.

Synthesis of benzo[1,3]oxazines via copper(i)-catalyzed cascade annulation of nitriles, aldehydes and diaryliodonium salts

A copper(i)-catalyzed one-pot [2 + 2 + 2] cascade annulation reaction of diaryliodoniums, nitriles, and aldehydes has been developed for the efficient synthesis of 2,4-substituted benzoxazine derivatives.

Base-Free Photoredox/Nickel Dual-Catalytic Cross-Coupling of Ammonium Alkylsilicates

Single-electron transmetalation is recognized as an enabling technology for the mild transfer of alkyl groups to transition metal catalysts in cross-coupling reactions. Hypercoordinate silicates represent a new and improved class of radical precursors because of their low oxidation potentials and the innocuous byproducts generated upon oxidation. Herein, we report the cross-coupling of secondary and primary ammonium alkylsilicates with (hetero)aryl bromides in good to excellent yields. The base-free conditions have exceptional protic group tolerance on both partners, permitting the cross-coupling of unprotected primary and secondary amines.