Electrochemical radical cation aza-Wacker cyclizations

• Sota Adachi and
• Yohei Okada

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1900–1905, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.165

• organic chemistry [11][12][13][14][15]. Single-electron oxidation of bench-stable substrates can generate radical cations that offer unique reactivities as intermediates for various bond-formation processes (also true for reduction). Because the reactivities of radicals and ions are fundamentally

• ). For example, Moeller reported electrochemical reactions under basic conditions, which were proposed to proceed via radicals [16][17][18]. Xu also reported electrochemical reactions via radicals, which were generated through proton-coupled electron transfer [19]. On the other hand, Yoon reported

A facile three-component route to powerful 5-aryldeazaalloxazine photocatalysts

• Ivana Weisheitelová,
• Radek Cibulka,
• Marek Sikorski and
• Tetiana Pavlovska

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1831–1838, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.161

• -deazaflavins [11][12][13]. Recently, it has been discovered that both 5-deazaflavins 1 and 5-deazaalloxazines 2, which have an aryl substituent in position C(5), form stable radicals that act as powerful reductive photocatalysts with a reducing power comparable to that of lithium [E*(1/1•) = −3.3 V vs SCE

Benzylic C(sp³)–H fluorination

• Alexander P. Atkins,
• Alice C. Dean and
• Alastair J. J. Lennox

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1527–1547, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.137

• radicals and ions imparted through delocalisation with the adjacent π-system [13][14][15]. In general, the more stabilised the benzylic radical, the weaker the C(sp3)–H bond, as demonstrated when considering the BDEs of a series of phenyl-substituted methanes (Figure 1B). The changes in BDE correlate with

• the relative stability of primary, secondary and tertiary benzylic radicals and cations. As a result, the presence of benzylic C(sp3)–H bonds in bioactive molecules can be problematic as they are particularly labile to enzymatic oxidation [16], and hence, their functionalisation has become a strategy

• generation at the benzylic position is known to occur via multiple pathways [44][45][46][47]. These radicals can then undergo fluorination via fluorine-atom-transfer (FAT) with various reagents capable of SET pathways, such as Selectfluor and NFSI (Figure 10) [48]. By avoiding the need for strong bases and

Electrophotochemical metal-catalyzed synthesis of alkylnitriles from simple aliphatic carboxylic acids

• Yukang Wang,
• Yan Yao and
• Niankai Fu

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1497–1503, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.133

• invention of cooperative catalysis with electrochemical transition metal catalysis, which generally has mild oxidation potential for the generation of persistent radicals in the form of nucleophile-bound metal complexes. We and other groups have successfully applied this reaction design to enantioselective

• investigated (Figure 2). Arylacetic acids with relatively stable benzylic radicals as the corresponding intermediates have been proved to be suitable substrates to the reaction, providing the desired decarboxylative cyanation products with generally good yields (2–18). To show the synthetic potential of this

• radicals are more challenging substrates. To our delight, both cyclic and acyclic secondary carboxylic acids performed well in our catalytic system, albeit with slightly reduced reaction efficiency (19–24). We also attempted simple primary carboxylic acids and got promising results. As outlined at the

Generation of alkyl and acyl radicals by visible-light photoredox catalysis: direct activation of C–O bonds in organic transformations

• Mithu Roy,
• Bitan Sardar,
• Itu Mallick and
• Dipankar Srimani

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1348–1375, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.119

• Mithu Roy Bitan Sardar Itu Mallick Dipankar Srimani Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology-Guwahati, Kamrup, Assam 781039, India 10.3762/bjoc.20.119 Abstract Alkyl and acyl radicals play a critical role in the advancement of chemical synthesis. The generation of acyl and alkyl

• radicals by activation of C–O bonds using visible-light photoredox catalysis offers a mild and environmentally benign approach to useful chemical transformations. Alcohols, carboxylic acids, anhydrides, xanthates, oxalates, N-phthalimides, and thiocarbonates are some examples of alkyl and acyl precursors

• that can produce reactive radicals by homolysis of the C–O bond. These radicals can then go through a variety of transformations that are beneficial for the construction of synthetic materials that are otherwise difficult to access. This study summarizes current developments in the use of organic

Transition-metal-catalyst-free electroreductive alkene hydroarylation with aryl halides under visible-light irradiation

• Kosuke Yamamoto,
• Kazuhisa Arita,
• Masami Kuriyama and
• Osamu Onomura

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1327–1333, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.116

• that a reductive radical-polar crossover pathway is likely to be involved in this transformation. Keywords: aryl halides; C–C bond formation; electroreduction; radicals; visible light; Introduction Alkene hydroarylation is an attractive method for the construction of alkylarenes, which serve as

• chemical reagents; however, these methods have some drawbacks, such as reagent toxicity/stability and limited substrate scope [12][13][14]. While recent advances in photochemistry have remarkably expanded the synthetic utility of (hetero)aryl radicals in organic synthesis [15][16][17][18][19][20], visible

• the additional electron transfer to form the corresponding anions is a highly favorable pathway due to the more positive reduction potential of radicals than that of the starting halides [38], employing redox mediators enables the generated aryl radicals to participate in radical arylation reactions

Mechanistic investigations of polyaza[7]helicene in photoredox and energy transfer catalysis

• Johannes Rocker,
• Till J. B. Zähringer,
• Matthias Schmitz,
• Till Opatz and
• Christoph Kerzig

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1236–1245, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.106

• mechanism of the recently reported sulfonylation/arylation [45][46] reaction using laser flash photolysis (LFP). LFP is a powerful spectroscopic tool in photocatalysis that allows us not only to distinguish between energy and electron transfer but also to detect transient triplet states and radicals

• 0.34, is essentially non-reactive under our conditions. Cyanopyridine- and sulfinate-derived radicals are produced in equal concentrations in the catalytic cycle, suggesting that radical coupling is indeed the final reaction step to give the stable sulfonylation/arylation product. The triplet of Aza-H

• , hampering further kinetic and mechanistic investigations. Nevertheless, both radicals must be formed as quenching by-products based on our spectroscopic studies, either in the photoinduced or in the subsequent and rapid thermal electron transfer. For stoichiometry reasons, these radicals are formed in equal

Light on the sustainable preparation of aryl-cored dibromides

• Fabrizio Roncaglia,
• Alberto Ughetti,
• Nicola Porcelli,
• Biagio Anderlini,
• Andrea Severini and
• Luca Rigamonti

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1076–1087, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.95

• . Useful alkenyl functional groups can also be obtained by means of elimination processes, if proper alkyl side chains are present. Additional opportunities offered by C(sp3)–Hal bonds arise from the ease of their homolytic cleavage, leading to the formation of reactive carbon-centred radicals. C(sp2)–Hal

• ] resulting in easier recyclability. Light irradiation often significantly influences the selectivity of halogenation processes. Photolytic cleavage of molecular halogens gives rise to radicals that are known to favour benzylic functionalisation [17]. Conversely, the same molecular halogens exhibit prominent

Direct synthesis of acyl fluorides from carboxylic acids using benzothiazolium reagents

• Lilian M. Maas,
• Alex Haswell,
• Rory Hughes and
• Matthew N. Hopkinson

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 921–930, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.82

• to acyl fluorides are inspiring greater interest in these compounds. Various synthetic approaches have been investigated with two main strategies being pursued: fluorine-transfer to acyl radicals and nucleophilic fluorination of acyl electrophiles [15]. The latter approach is the most intensively

(Bio)isosteres of ortho- and meta-substituted benzenes

• H. Erik Diepers and
• Johannes C. L. Walker

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 859–890, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.78

• -workers reported a method for the selective bridge bromination of BCPs, giving access to brominated 1,2-BCP (±)-16 (Scheme 2) [33]. By exploiting the homolytic cleavage of the C–Br bond using in situ-generated silyl radicals, they were then able to harness the installed bromide functionality in

• catalytic system of B2cat2 and 4-phenylpyridine to form pyridine-boryl radicals which initiated ring expansion. The method was shown to be similarly tolerable of functional groups as Procter’s synthesis. Intramolecular crossed [2 + 2] cycloadditions offer an alternative approach to 1,2-disubstituted BCHs

• was developed by Anderson and co-workers and was shown to be the more versatile than initiator-free activation. Both initiator-free and Et3B-initiated reactions only tolerated electrophilic radicals (to 134a and 134e), while photoredox catalysis also tolerated electron-rich radicals (to 134b). The

Ortho-ester-substituted diaryliodonium salts enabled regioselective arylocyclization of naphthols toward 3,4-benzocoumarins

• Ke Jiang,
• Cheng Pan,
• Limin Wang,
• Hao-Yang Wang and
• Jianwei Han

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 841–851, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.76

• , herein, we utilized a copper catalyst to activate the C–I bond of diaryliodonium salts in the generation of aryl radicals, thus resulting in an annulation reaction with naphthols and substituted phenols. This approach yielded a diverse array of 3,4-benzocoumarin derivatives bearing various substituents

Advancements in hydrochlorination of alkenes

• Daniel S. Müller

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 787–814, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.72

• carbenium ions are highly energetic species which tend to react unselectively according to the reactivity–selectivity principle. In contrast, MH HAT produces relatively stable radicals which is demonstrated by, e.g., the strong difference of heat of formation of the tert-butyl radical and cation (Figure 7B

• conclusion we wish to point out that this reaction provides a convenient procedure to achieve anti Markovnikov addition of alcohols to olefins which can presumably be extended to other systems. Furthermore, the addition of other nucleophiles to photochemically generated cation radicals would make this type

Research progress on the pharmacological activity, biosynthetic pathways, and biosynthesis of crocins

• Zhongwei Hua,
• Nan Liu and
• Xiaohui Yan

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 741–752, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.68

• also reported to inhibit cell invasion and metastasis [54][55]. Anti-inflammation and antioxidation Crocins exhibit anti-inflammation properties by scavenging free radicals and regulating the expression of antioxidant enzymes. Crocins can inhibit the NF-κB signaling pathway, thus downregulating the

SOMOphilic alkyne vs radical-polar crossover approaches: The full story of the azido-alkynylation of alkenes

• Julien Borrel and
• Jerome Waser

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 701–713, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.64

• , greatly increasing the molecular complexity of the starting substrate. Using radical chemistry would lead to a regioselective addition of azide radicals to the alkene, forming selectively the most stabilized C-centered radical. A prominent method for the generation of azide radicals relies on hypervalent

• would initially involve the addition of azide radicals to an alkene, generating a carbon-centered radical. Then, different trapping of this intermediate could be performed (Scheme 1B). First, C-centered radicals are known to recombine with metal-acetylides, in particular copper [27]. Reductive

• generate a large quantity of iodanyl radical from Ts-ABZ (3) homolysis and from the addition–elimination on Ph-EBX (2). Since no quencher is present in the mixture, we wondered if the accumulation of those radicals could be responsible for the low yields obtained. Addition of (TMS)3SiH, a H• donor

Green and sustainable approaches for the Friedel–Crafts reaction between aldehydes and indoles

• Periklis X. Kolagkis,
• Eirini M. Galathri and
• Christoforos G. Kokotos

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 379–426, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.36

Mechanisms for radical reactions initiating from N-hydroxyphthalimide esters

• Carlos R. Azpilcueta-Nicolas and
• Jean-Philip Lumb

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 346–378, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.35

• reaction classes, we discuss the utility of the NHPI esters, with an eye towards their continued development in complexity-generating transformations. Keywords: decarboxylative couplings; mechanisms; NHPI-esters; radical reactions; Introduction The historical challenges of using radicals in synthetic

• chemistry is well documented [1][2]. Traditional approaches for radical generation relied on hazardous reagents and harsh conditions, resulting in low reaction efficiency and undesired byproduct formation [3][4][5][6]. As a consequence, the utility of radicals in organic synthesis remained limited for many

• years and in the past, they were perceived as fleeting reaction intermediates. Recent progress in photoredox catalysis [6][7][8], electrochemistry [9][10], and the use of transition-metal (TM) catalysts in radical cross-coupling reactions [11] have dramatically expanded the use of radicals in synthesis

Nucleophilic functionalization of thianthrenium salts under basic conditions

• Xinting Fan,
• Duo Zhang,
• Xiangchuan Xiu,
• Bin Xu,
• Yu Yuan,
• Feng Chen and
• Pan Gao

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 257–263, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.26

• ][20]. On the other hand, sulfonium salts have emerged as appealing sources of aryl radicals for a wide range of transformations aimed at creating novel chemical bonds driven by their distinctive structural attributes and chemical tendencies (Scheme 1a) [9][21][22][23][24][25][26]. In addition to late

• generation of alkyl radicals [39]. After that, a series of methods for the modification of alkylthianthrenium salts have been developed, including the transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling with terminal alkynes [40], sulfonylation with DABCO·(SO2)2 [41][42][43], or alkylation of active alkenes [44][45

Visible-light-induced radical cascade cyclization: a catalyst-free synthetic approach to trifluoromethylated heterocycles

• Chuan Yang,
• Wei Shi,
• Jian Tian,
• Lin Guo,
• Yating Zhao and
• Wujiong Xia

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 118–124, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.12

• radicals. This method allows the efficient synthesis of various indole derivatives without the need of photocatalysts or transition-metal catalysts. Mechanism experiments indicate that the process involves a radical chain process initiated by the homolysis of Umemoto's reagent. This straightforward method

• to furnish trifluoromethylated dihyropyrido[1,2-a]indolones under mild conditions, without the need of photocatalysts or transition metals [28]. Results and Discussion We initialized our study by employing Ru(bpy)3Cl2·6H2O and Umemoto’s reagent to generate trifluoromethyl radicals via a photo

Photoinduced in situ generation of DNA-targeting ligands: DNA-binding and DNA-photodamaging properties of benzo[c]quinolizinium ions

• Julika Schlosser,
• Olga Fedorova,
• Yuri Fedorov and
• Heiko Ihmels

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 101–117, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.11

• , even under anaerobic conditions. Investigations of the mechanism of the DNA damage revealed the involvement of intermediate hydroxyl radicals and C-centered radicals. Under aerobic conditions, singlet oxygen only contributes to marginal extent to the DNA damage. Keywords: DNA intercalators

• species (ROS), such peroxyl, alkoxy and hydroxyl radicals, or carbon-centered radicals, which subsequently induce DNA strand cleavage. In the type-II mechanism, a triplet-excited photosensitizer reacts with molecular oxygen to give highly reactive singlet oxygen, 1O2, as reactive intermediate, which in

• ). To clarify whether the mechanism of the DNA photodamage proceeds through the formation of radicals, experiments with commmonly employed radical scavengers were conducted (Table 3, Supporting Information File 1, Figure S17). In the presence of hydroxyl-radical scavengers DMSO, t-BuOH, and 2-propanol

Long oligodeoxynucleotides: chemical synthesis, isolation via catching-by-polymerization, verification via sequencing, and gene expression demonstration

• Yipeng Yin,
• Reed Arneson,
• Alexander Apostle,
• Adikari M. D. N. Eriyagama,
• Komal Chillar,
• Emma Burke,
• Martina Jahfetson,
• Yinan Yuan and
• Shiyue Fang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1957–1965, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.146

• results further confirmed that ODN damage by radicals during CBP purification is unlikely. Another concern for long ODN synthesis is the perceived low quantity of product [29]. For example, for a 400 nt ODN synthesis, if the average stepwise yield is 99.0% as usually observed in trityl assay for the

Beyond n-dopants for organic semiconductors: use of bibenzo[d]imidazoles in UV-promoted dehalogenation reactions of organic halides

• Kan Tang,
• Megan R. Brown,
• Chad Risko,
• Melissa K. Gish,
• Garry Rumbles,
• Phuc H. Pham,
• Oana R. Luca,
• Stephen Barlow and
• Seth R. Marder

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1912–1922, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.142

• of alkyl halides, RX, by CoCp2 (Cp = η5-cyclopentadienyl; E = −1.3 V vs FeCp2+/0), gives CoCp2+ and X−, but the organic radicals R• react with another molecule of CoCp2 to afford CoCp(η4-C5H5R) [7]. In some cases, issues of reductant air sensitivity can be circumvented by the use of photocatalysts in

• [4][5], while other reducing species have been formed from in situ reactions of simple diols or diamines [13]. Another approach is to utilize dimers formed by highly reducing radicals, such the bibenzoimidazoles (Y-DMBI)2 (Figure 1c). (Me-DMBI)2 was first reported in 1984 and used as a reductant in

• many radicals [28][29][30][31]. The reaction is substantially accelerated by UV excitation at 365 nm; quantitative conversion of benzyl bromide at low initial concentration (3 mM) can be achieved within 1 h using both (N-DMBI)2 or (Cyc-DMBI)2 and UV (Table 1, entries 3 and 6), while even at higher

Controlling the reactivity of La@C₈₂ by reduction: reaction of the La@C₈₂ anion with alkyl halide with high regioselectivity

• Yutaka Maeda,
• Saeka Akita,
• Mitsuaki Suzuki,
• Michio Yamada,
• Takeshi Akasaka,
• Kaoru Kobayashi and
• Shigeru Nagase

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1858–1866, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.138

• reaction is believed to occur via electron transfer, followed by the radical coupling of La@C2v-C82 and benzyl radicals, rather than by bimolecular nucleophilic substitution reaction of La@C2v-C82 anion with 1. Keywords: electron transfer; metallofullerene; radical; reduction; Introduction Fullerenes

• more localized on the inside of the cluster for [Sc3N@Ih-C80]2−. A previous study reported that thermal treatment of La@C2v-C82 in the presence of 3-triphenylmethyl-5-oxazolidinone in toluene afforded four different benzylated La@C2v-C82 isomers [19]. Benzyl radicals may have been generated due to the

• radicals [10][11], which react even at room temperature. However, the one-electron reduction of La@C2v-C82 is effective for the activating its reactivity toward alkyl halides in the thermal reaction. Recently, Zhou et al. reported that the reaction of Gd@C2v-C82 with benzyl bromide requires a three

Recent advancements in iodide/phosphine-mediated photoredox radical reactions

• Tinglan Liu,
• Yu Zhou,
• Junhong Tang and
• Chengming Wang

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1785–1803, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.131

• radicals for alkenylation, was primarily facilitated by the electrostatic interaction between NaI and Katritzky salts 7. This innovative approach not only expanded the scope of photoredox cross-coupling reactions but also offered valuable insights into the role of NaI in facilitating these transformations

• ), specifically by extracting a hydrogen atom from the α-position of benzyl radicals A. The process described above led to the formation of the corresponding olefins 11, eliminating the need for a carbon–iodine bond formation step. Alkylation Diaziridines are highly versatile building blocks in synthesis, with

• route for the synthesis of unnatural amino acids and amines. Remarkably, the procedure exhibited excellent compatibility with a wide range of alkyl radicals, including primary, secondary, tertiary, and α-heterosubstituted radicals generated from corresponding redox-active esters 3. Concurrently, Shang

Benzoimidazolium-derived dimeric and hydride n-dopants for organic electron-transport materials: impact of substitution on structures, electrochemistry, and reactivity

• Swagat K. Mohapatra,
• Khaled Al Kurdi,
• Samik Jhulki,
• Georgii Bogdanov,
• John Bacsa,
• Maxwell Conte,
• Tatiana V. Timofeeva,
• Seth R. Marder and
• Stephen Barlow

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1651–1663, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.121

• . Their electrochemistry and reactivity were compared to those derived from 2-(4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)- (1b+) and 2-cyclohexylbenzo[d]imidazolium (1e+) salts. E(1+/1•) values for 2-aryl species are less reducing than for 2-alkyl analogues, i.e., the radicals are stabilized more by aryl groups than the

• cations, while 4,7-dimethoxy substitution leads to more reducing E(1+/1•) values, as well as cathodic shifts in E(12•+/12) and E(1H•+/1H) values. Both the use of 3,4-dimethoxy and 2-aryl substituents accelerates the reaction of the 1H species with PC61BM. Because 2-aryl groups stabilize radicals, 1b2 and

• [14][22][46], the bond length depends on orbital overlap and steric strain in the dimer, whereas dissociation energetics also depend on the stability of the monomeric odd-electron species, which vary considerably; in the case of 1• radicals an important factor is the ability of the Y substituent to

Tying a knot between crown ethers and porphyrins

• Maksym Matviyishyn and
• Bartosz Szyszko

Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1630–1650, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.120

• single crystal XRD. Compound 43 formed stable cation radicals upon adding different oxidising agents, such as AgSbF6, TFA, and CuCl2. The cation radicals showed relative stability and remained undeteriorated on air for over a week. The crowned porphyrinoids incorporating two pyrroloindole units 44 were

• also synthesised (Scheme 11) [134]. The electrochemical studies demonstrated low oxidation potentials, and similarly to previously described systems incorporating a single pyrroloindole unit, compound 44 underwent single-electron oxidation forming stable cation radicals. Ravikanth and co-workers have