Over decades, synthetic chemists have directed their attention towards the development of ligand systems to enable 4d and 5d transition metals to catalyze chemical processes under thermal conditions. This was recognized by three Nobel Prizes in Chemistry in 2001, 2005, and 2010. For numerous economic and ecological reasons, the substitution of noble metal catalysis and thermal energy by more sustainable nonprecious metal catalysis and inexpensive visible light energy is an emerging field. Besides, it is practically impressing if it goes beyond a simple replacement and additionally, novel catalytic activity and selectivity could be discovered.
This thematic issue covers the entire range of homogenous nonprecious metal catalysis and visible-light-enabled transformations, with interest in both experimental and theoretical investigations.
Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2023, 19, 1785–1803, doi:10.3762/bjoc.19.131
Graphical Abstract
Scheme 1: Photocatalytic decarboxylative transformations mediated by the NaI/PPh3 catalyst system.
Scheme 2: Proposed catalytic cycle of NaI/PPh3 photoredox catalysis.
Scheme 3: Decarboxylative alkenylation of redox-active esters by NaI/PPh3 catalysis.
Scheme 4: Decarboxylative alkenylation mediated by NaI/PPh3 catalysis.
Scheme 5: NaI-mediated photoinduced α-alkenylation of Katritzky salts 7.
Scheme 6: n-Bu4NI-mediated photoinduced decarboxylative olefination.
Scheme 7: Proposed mechanism of the n-Bu4NI-mediated photoinduced decarboxylative olefination.
Scheme 8: Photodecarboxylative alkylation of redox-active esters with diazirines.
Scheme 9: Photoinduced iodine-anion-catalyzed decarboxylative/deaminative C–H alkylation of enamides.
Scheme 10: Photocatalytic C–H alkylation of coumarins mediated by NaI/PPh3 catalysis.
Scheme 11: Photoredox alkylation of aldimines by NaI/PPh3 catalysis.
Scheme 12: Photoredox C–H alkylation employing ammonium iodide.
Scheme 13: NaI/PPh3/CuBr cooperative catalysis for photocatalytic C(sp3)–O/N cross-coupling reactions.
Scheme 14: Proposed mechanism of NaI/PPh3/CuBr cooperative catalysis for photocatalytic C(sp3)–O/N cross-coupl...
Scheme 15: Photocatalytic decarboxylative [3 + 2]/[4 + 2] annulation between enynals and γ,σ-unsaturated N-(ac...
Scheme 16: Proposed mechanism for the decarboxylative [3 + 2]/[4 + 2] annulation.
Scheme 17: Decarboxylative cascade annulation of alkenes/1,6-enynes with N-hydroxyphthalimide esters.
Scheme 18: Decarboxylative radical cascade cyclization of N-arylacrylamides.
Scheme 19: NaI/PPh3-driven photocatalytic decarboxylative radical cascade alkylarylation.
Scheme 20: Proposed mechanism of the NaI/PPh3-driven photocatalytic decarboxylative radical cascade cyclizatio...
Scheme 21: Visible-light-promoted decarboxylative cyclization of vinylcycloalkanes.
Scheme 22: NaI/PPh3-mediated photochemical reduction and amination of nitroarenes.
Scheme 23: PPh3-catalyzed alkylative iododecarboxylation with LiI.
Scheme 24: Visible-light-triggered iodination facilitated by N-heterocyclic carbenes.
Scheme 25: Visible-light-induced photolysis of phosphonium iodide salts for monofluoromethylation.
Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 118–124, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.12
Graphical Abstract
Figure 1: Representative dihydropyrido[1,2-a]indolone derivatives.
Scheme 1: Selected works for the construction of dihydropyrido[1,2-a]indolones and current methodology.
Scheme 2: Substrate scope of the cascade reaction.
Scheme 3: Radical trapping experiment.
Figure 2: UV–vis spectra of substrates; [1a] 0.33 M, [2a] 0.11 M.
Scheme 4: Plausible reaction mechanism.
Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1111–1166, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.98
Graphical Abstract
Scheme 1: General scheme of the borrowing hydrogen (BH) or hydrogen auto-transfer (HA) methodology.
Scheme 2: General scheme for C–N bond formation. A) Traditional cross-couplings with alkyl or aryl halides. B...
Figure 1: Manganese pre-catalysts used for the N-alkylation of amines with alcohols.
Scheme 3: Manganese(I)-pincer complex Mn1 used for the N-alkylation of amines with alcohols and methanol.
Scheme 4: N-Methylation of amines with methanol using Mn2.
Scheme 5: C–N-Bond formation with amines and methanol using PN3P-Mn complex Mn3 reported by Sortais et al. [36]. a...
Scheme 6: Base-assisted synthesis of amines and imines with Mn4. Reaction assisted by A) t-BuOK and B) t-BuON...
Scheme 7: Coupling of alcohols and hydrazine via the HB approach reported by Milstein et al. [38]. aReaction time...
Scheme 8: Proposed mechanism for the coupling of alcohols and hydrazine catalyzed by Mn5.
Scheme 9: Phosphine-free manganese catalyst for N-alkylation of amines with alcohols reported by Balaraman an...
Scheme 10: N-Alkylation of sulfonamides with alcohols.
Scheme 11: Mn–NHC catalyst Mn6 applied for the N-alkylation of amines with alcohols. a3 mol % of Mn6 were used....
Scheme 12: N-Alkylation of amines with primary and secondary alcohols. a80 °C, b100 °C.
Scheme 13: Manganese(III)-porphyrin catalyst for synthesis of tertiary amines.
Scheme 14: Proposed mechanism for the alcohol dehydrogenation with Mn(III)-porphyrin complex Mn7.
Scheme 15: N-Methylation of nitroarenes with methanol using catalyst Mn3.
Scheme 16: Mechanism of manganese-catalyzed methylation of nitroarenes using Mn3 as the catalyst.
Scheme 17: Bidentate manganese complex Mn8 applied for the N-alkylation of primary anilines with alcohols. aOn...
Scheme 18: N-Alkylation of amines with alcohols in the presence of manganese salts and triphenylphosphine as t...
Scheme 19: N-Alkylation of diazo compounds with alcohols using catalyst Mn9.
Scheme 20: Proposed mechanism for the amination of alcohols with diazo compounds catalyzed by catalyst Mn9.
Scheme 21: Mn1 complex-catalyzed synthesis of polyethyleneimine from ethylene glycol and ethylenediamine.
Scheme 22: Bis-triazolylidene-manganese complex Mn10 for the N-alkylation of amines with alcohols.
Figure 2: Manganese complexes applied for C-alkylation reactions of ketones with alcohols.
Scheme 23: General scheme for the C–C bond formation with alcohols and ketones.
Scheme 24: Mn1 complex-catalyzed α-alkylation of ketones with primary alcohols.
Scheme 25: Mechanism for the Mn1-catalyzed alkylation of ketones with alcohols.
Scheme 26: Phosphine-free in situ-generated manganese catalyst for the α-alkylation of ketones with primary al...
Scheme 27: Plausible mechanism for the Mn-catalyzed α-alkylation of ketones with alcohols.
Scheme 28: α-Alkylation of esters, ketones, and amides using alcohols catalyzed by Mn11.
Scheme 29: Mono- and dialkylation of methylene ketones with primary alcohols using the Mn(acac)2/1,10-phenanth...
Scheme 30: Methylation of ketones with methanol and deuterated methanol.
Scheme 31: Methylation of ketones and esters with methanol. a50 mol % of t-BuOK were used, bCD3OD was used ins...
Scheme 32: Alkylation of ketones and secondary alcohols with primary alcohols using Mn4.
Scheme 33: Bidentate manganese-NHC complex Mn6 applied for the synthesis of alkylated ketones using alcohols.
Scheme 34: Mn1-catalyzed synthesis of substituted cycloalkanes by coupling diols and secondary alcohols or ket...
Scheme 35: Proposed mechanism for the synthesis of cycloalkanes via BH method.
Scheme 36: Synthesis of various cycloalkanes from methyl ketones and diols catalyze by Mn13. aReaction time wa...
Scheme 37: N,N-Amine–manganese complex (Mn13)-catalyzed alkylation of ketones with alcohols.
Scheme 38: Naphthyridine‑N‑oxide manganese complex Mn14 applied for the alkylation of ketones with alcohols. a...
Scheme 39: Proposed mechanism of the naphthyridine‑N‑oxide manganese complex (Mn14)-catalyzed alkylation of ke...
Scheme 40: α-Methylation of ketones and indoles with methanol using Mn15.
Scheme 41: α-Alkylation of ketones with primary alcohols using Mn16. aNMR yield.
Figure 3: Manganese complexes used for coupling of secondary and primary alcohols.
Scheme 42: Alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols catalyzed by phosphine-free catalyst Mn17. a...
Scheme 43: PNN-Manganese complex Mn18 for the alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols.
Scheme 44: Mechanism for the Mn-pincer catalyzed C-alkylation of secondary alcohols with primary alcohols.
Scheme 45: Upgrading of ethanol with methanol for isobutanol production.
Scheme 46: Mn-Pincer catalyst Mn19 applied for the β-methylation of alcohols with methanol. a2.0 mol % of Mn19...
Scheme 47: Functionalized ketones from primary and secondary alcohols catalyzed by Mn20. aMn20 (5 mol %), NaOH...
Scheme 48: Synthesis of γ-disubstituted alcohols and β-disubstituted ketones through Mn9-catalyzed coupling of...
Scheme 49: Proposed mechanism for the Mn9-catalyzed synthesis of γ-disubstituted alcohols and β-disubstituted ...
Scheme 50: Dehydrogenative coupling of ethylene glycol and primary alcohols catalyzed by Mn4.
Scheme 51: Mn18-cataylzed C-alkylation of unactivated esters and amides with alcohols.
Scheme 52: Alkylation of amides and esters using Mn21.
Scheme 53: α-Alkylation of nitriles with primary alcohols using in situ-generated manganese catalyst.
Scheme 54: Proposed mechanism for the α-alkylation of nitriles with primary alcohols.
Scheme 55: Mn9-catalyzed α-alkylation of nitriles with primary alcohols. a1,4-Dioxane was used as solvent, 24 ...
Figure 4: Manganese complexes used for alkylation of heterocyclic compounds.
Scheme 56: Aminomethylation of aromatic compounds with secondary amines and methanol catalyzed by Mn22.
Scheme 57: Regioselective alkylation of indolines with alcohols catalyzed by Mn9. aMn9 (4 mol %), 48 h.
Scheme 58: Proposed mechanism for the C- and N-alkylation of indolines with alcohols.
Scheme 59: C-Alkylation of methyl N-heteroarenes with primary alcohols catalyzed by Mn1. aTime was 60 h.
Scheme 60: C-Alkylation of oxindoles with secondary alcohols.
Scheme 61: Plausible mechanism for the Mn23-catalyzed C-alkylation of oxindoles with secondary alcohols.
Scheme 62: Synthesis of C-3-alkylated products by coupling alcohols with indoles and aminoalcohols.
Scheme 63: C3-Alkylation of indoles using Mn1.
Scheme 64: C-Methylation of indoles with Mn15 and methanol.
Scheme 65: α-Alkylation of 2-oxindoles with primary and secondary alcohols catalyzed by Mn25. aReaction carrie...
Scheme 66: Dehydrogenative alkylation of indolines with Mn1. aMn1 (5.0 mol %) was used.
Scheme 67: Synthesis of bis(indolyl)methane derivatives from indoles and alcohols catalyzed by Mn26. aMn26 (5....
Scheme 68: One-pot synthesis of pyrimidines via BH.
Scheme 69: Synthesis of pyrroles from alcohols and aminoalcohols using Mn4.
Scheme 70: Synthesis of pyrroles via multicomponent reaction catalyzed by Mn12.
Scheme 71: Friedländer quinoline synthesis using an in situ-generated phosphine-free manganese catalyst.
Scheme 72: Quinoline synthesis using bis-N-heterocyclic carbene-manganese catalyst Mn6.
Scheme 73: Quinoline synthesis using manganese(III)-porphyrin catalyst Mn7.
Scheme 74: Manganese-catalyzed tetrahydroquinoline synthesis via borrowing BH.
Scheme 75: Proposed mechanism for the manganese-catalyzed tetrahydroquinoline synthesis.
Scheme 76: Synthesis of C3-alkylated indoles using Mn24.
Scheme 77: Synthesis of C-3-alkylated indoles using Mn1.
Scheme 78: C–C Bond formation by coupling of alcohols and ylides.
Scheme 79: C-Alkylation of fluorene with alcohols catalyzed by Mn24.
Scheme 80: Proposed mechanism for the C-alkylation of fluorene with alcohols catalyzed by Mn24.
Scheme 81: α-Alkylation of sulfones using Mn-PNN catalyst Mn28.
Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 1348–1375, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.119
Graphical Abstract
Figure 1: Generation of alkyl and acyl radicals via C–O bond breaking.
Figure 2: General photocatalytic mechanism.
Scheme 1: Photoredox-catalyzed hydroacylation of olefins with aliphatic carboxylic acids.
Scheme 2: Acylation–aromatization of p-quinone methides using carboxylic acids.
Scheme 3: Visible-light-induced deoxygenation–defluorination for the synthesis of γ,γ-difluoroallylic ketones....
Scheme 4: Photochemical hydroacylation of azobenzenes with carboxylic acids.
Scheme 5: Photoredox-catalyzed synthesis of flavonoids.
Scheme 6: Synthesis of O-thiocarbamates and photocatalytic reduction of O-thiocarbamates.
Scheme 7: Deoxygenative borylation of alcohols.
Scheme 8: Trifluoromethylation of O-alkyl thiocarbonyl substrates.
Scheme 9: Redox-neutral radical coupling reactions of alkyl oxalates and Michael acceptors.
Scheme 10: Visible-light-catalyzed and Ni-mediated syn-alkylarylation of alkynes.
Scheme 11: 1,2-Alkylarylation of alkenes with aryl halides and alkyl oxalates.
Scheme 12: Deoxygenative borylation of oxalates.
Scheme 13: Coupling of N-phthalimidoyl oxalates with various acceptors.
Scheme 14: Cross-coupling of O-alkyl xanthates with aryl halides via dual photoredox and nickel catalysis.
Scheme 15: Deoxygenative borylation of secondary alcohol.
Scheme 16: Deoxygenative alkyl radical generation from alcohols under visible-light photoredox conditions.
Scheme 17: Deoxygenative alkylation via alkoxy radicals against hydrogenation or β-fragmentation.
Scheme 18: Direct C–O bond activation of benzyl alcohols.
Scheme 19: Deoxygenative arylation of alcohols using NHC to activate alcohols.
Scheme 20: Deoxygenative conjugate addition of alcohol using NHC as alcohol activator.
Scheme 21: Synthesis of polysubstituted aldehydes.
Beilstein J. Org. Chem. 2024, 20, 2493–2499, doi:10.3762/bjoc.20.213
Graphical Abstract
Scheme 1: Strategies for Achmatowicz rearrangement.
Figure 1: Scope of the integrated continuous photo-flow (visible light)-induced Achmatowicz rearrangement rea...
Figure 2: Proposed mechanism for the photochemically induced Achmatowicz rearrangement.