Search

An environmentally friendly and highly diastereoselective method for synthesizing indanes has been developed via a metastable-state photoacid system containing catalytic protonated merocyanine (MEH). Under visible-light irradiation, MEH yields a metastable spiro structure and liberated protons, which facilitates the formation of carbocations from benzyl alcohols, thus delivering diverse molecules in the presence of various nucleophiles. Mainly, a variety of indanes could be easily obtained from benzyl alcohols and olefins, and water is the only byproduct.

We describe here an approach for synthesizing quinolines either from

An aerobic metal-free, visible-light-induced regioselective thiolation of phenols with thiophenols is reported. The cross-coupling protocol exhibits great functional group tolerance and high regioselectivity. Mechanistic studies reveal that the disulfide radical cation plays a crucial role in the visible-light catalysis of aerobic thiolation. Simply controlling the equivalent ratio of substrates enables the selective formation of sulfide or sulfoxide products with high activity in a one-pot reaction.

Reported herein is the first example of C(

Fortuneicyclidins A (1) and B (2), a pair of epimeric pyrrolizidine alkaloids containing an unprecedented 7-azatetracyclo[5.4.3.0.02,8]tridecane core, were isolated from the seeds of Cephalotaxus fortunei, along with two biogenetically relative known analogues, 3 and 4. The structures were determined by multiple spectral techniques and chemical derivatization methods. Compound 1 showed inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase.

The bioinspired synthesis of heterodimer neolignan analogs is reported by single-electron oxidation of both alkenyl phenols and phenols individually, followed by a combination of the resultant radicals. This oxidative radical cross-coupling strategy can afford heterodimer 8-5' or 8-O-4' neolignan analogs selectively with the use of air as the terminal oxidant and copper acetate as the catalyst at room temperature.

Reported herein is the first example of the synthesis of carbazoles via oxidative cyclization of 3-alkenylindoles with styrenes under visible light. The irradiation of a catalytic amount of [Ir(dtbbpy)(ppy)2][PF6] as the photocatalyst enables various 3-alkenylindoles and styrenes to undergo tandem [2 + 2] cycloaddition/rearrangement, thereby leading to carbazole derivatives in good to excellent yields under aerobic conditions. Mechanistic studies reveal that photoinduced energy transfer followed by electron transfer is responsible for the tandem reaction.

The first example of photoredox strategy for synthesis of phenanthrene skeletons through C(sp3)-H functionalization under external oxidant-free conditions is achieved. This transformation relies on the keto-enol tautomerism of 1,3 dicarbonyl moiety, i.e., the enol form of 1,3-dicarbonyl derivatives with relatively lower oxidation potential can be activated by the excited acridinium photocatalyst. The electron and proton eliminated from the substrate are immediately captured by a cobaloxime catalyst to exclusively afford a-carbonyl radical for highly substituted 10-phenanthrenols in good to excellent yields.

Direct C-S bond coupling is an attractive way to construct aryl sulfur ether, a building block for a variety of biological active molecules. Herein, we disclose an effective model for regioselective thiolation of the aromatic C-H bond by thiol activation instead of arene activation. Strikingly, this method has been applied into anisole derivatives that are not available in the arene activation approach to forge a single thioether isomer with high reactivity.

A unified strategy for the synthesis of 2-vinyl heterocycles is reported. With visible light irradiation, simple and cheap CuCl is able to functionalize a terminal alkyne, giving Cu(I)-acetylide in situ. Unlike the case of noble metals or organic dye photocatalysts, this critical Cu(I)-acetylide not only activates the C–H bond of terminal alkynes but also serves as a photocatalyst to achieve varieties of 2-vinyl heterocycles in good to excellent yields, even for large scale and late-stage functionalization of natural product.

The development of chiral ligands with privileged scaffolds plays an important role in transition-metal-catalyzed asymmetric reactions. Herein we present anthracene-photodimer-derived chiral monophosphine ligand 1, which features dual chirality and a rigid scaffold. This ligand exhibits remarkable efficiency in Pd-catalyzed desymmetric intermolecular C-N coupling under mild conditions with excellent chemo- and enantioselectivity.

Acyl radical triggered difunctionalizations of aryl olefins have been realized using oxime ester as the acyl precursor for the first time. Irradiation of fac-Ir(ppy)3 and oxime ester by visible light caused scission into three components, which recombined with olefins to yield significant β-carbonyl imides showing good functional group tolerance and high atom economy. Control experiments as well as spectroscopic and electrochemical studies revealed the efficient intermolecular reorganization of oxime ester into styrene with the aid of solvent exchange.

Herein, we present an air-stable dianthracenyl monophosphine ligand (diAnthPhos) which can be prepared in two steps from commercially available anthracene derivatives. The ligand exhibits excellent efficiency for palladium-catalyzed coupling reactions. In particular, Miyaura borylation of heterocycle-containing electrophiles can be facilitated employing the diAnthPhos ligand with a broad substrate scope and low catalyst loading. The valuable synthetic utility of the new ligand is further demonstrated by a one-pot Miyaura borylation/Suzuki coupling protocol for heteroaryl-containing substrates.

A trifluoroacetic acid-facilitated ortho amination of alkoxyl arene has been established via anodic oxidation in an undivided cell. In the absence of any additional metal or oxidant reagents, a series of aromatic and heteroaromatic amine derivatives have been synthesized in good to excellent yields. Our findings reveal the possibility of achieving complete ortho-selective amination of a simple arene, which emerges as an efficient route for facile and large-scale organic synthesis.

The aerobic dehydrogenative cyclization of alkenes with easily accessible diselenides facilitated by visible light is reported. Notably, the features of this transition-metal-free protocol are pronounced efficiency and practicality, good functional group tolerance, atom economy, and high sustainability, since ambient air and visible light are adequate for the clean construction of five- and six membered heterocycles in yields of up to 98%.

Fortuneicyclidins A (

The bioinspired synthesis of heterodimer neolignan analogs is reported by single-electron oxidation of both alkenyl phenols and phenols individually, followed by a combination of the resultant radicals. This oxidative radical cross-coupling strategy can afford heterodimer 8-5' or 8

The first example of photoredox strategy for synthesis of phenanthrene skeletons through C(sp

Direct phosphorylation of enamine and enamide with hydrogen evolution was realized via cobaloxime catalysis under visible-light irradiation. Control experiments and spectroscopic studies demonstrated a reductive quenching pathway of cobaloxime catalyst to produce phosphinoyl radical, which underwent cross-coupling with various enamines (and enamides) to give diverse β-phosphinoyl products in good to excellent yields. More interestingly, Z/E mixture of acyclic enamines could convert into single Z-products with good reactivity.

A unified strategy for the synthesis of 2-vinyl heterocycles is reported. With visible light irradiation, simple and cheap CuCl is able to functionalize a terminal alkyne, giving Cu(I)-acetylide in situ. Unlike the case of noble metals or organic dye photocatalysts, this critical Cu(I)-acetylide not only activates the C-H bond of terminal alkynes but also serves as a photocatalyst to achieve varieties of 2-vinyl heterocycles in good to excellent yields, even for large scale and late-stage functionalization of natural product.

Eosin Y, a common organo-photocatalyst in visible-light photoredox processes, was found to show excellent catalytic activities for thermal redox reactions under a catalytic amount of Cu(OAc)2. With this catalytic system, vinyl azides and ketene silyl acetals combine to form formal [3 + 2] cycloadducts by α-ester radical addition without light irradiation. This method provides a mild and straightforward paradigm to prepare important synthons of five-membered ene-γ-lactams and bridge ring lactams. It is the first example of an eosin Y-catalyzed redox reaction in the dark.

Here is the first visible light catalytic intermolecular cross [2 + 2] cycloaddition of enynes with alkenes to alkynyl cyclobutanes established with good functional group tolerance and high reaction efficiency and selectivity. Detailed studies reveal that enynes, including nonaromatic ones, can be sensitized by fac-Ir(ppy)3 via an energy transfer pathway. Addition of the Lewis acid PPh3AuNTf2 enables the cross photo[2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction to take place under both direct visible light irradiation or sensitization by Ru(bpy)3(PF6)2.

The excellent oxidizing capability of acridinium-based organic dye (Acr+-Mes) is fully studied in photoredox catalysis. However, its reducing ability is always considered weak for organic transformation. The reducing ability of Acr+-Mes is developed by Selectfluor to achieve effective fluorination and oxidation of benzylic C(sp3)–H bonds under visible light irradiation, which is not available for the direct use of oxidizing ability of excited Acr+-Mes. Mechanistic insights provided strong evidence for the oxidative quenching of Acr+-Mes.

A trifluoroacetic acid-facilitated

A unified strategy to generate acyl radical from oxime ester via selective C-C bond activation is reported. Under visible-light irradiation, single-electron transfer from fac-Ir(ppy)3 to related oxime takes place followed by a fast β-fragment of C-C bond to yield aryl and aliphatic acyl radicals, subsequently captured by diverse Michael acceptors. More interestingly, the single-electron transfer enables coupling with energy transfer of the excited fac-Ir(ppy)3 via enone intermediate formed in situ for cyclobutane formation.

An efficient method for highly selective alkenyl C-P bond cleavage, enabled by organic dyes and visible-light irradiation, was developed. This novel protocol involves a highly regioselective radical pathway initiated by singlet oxygen, affording diverse alkynyl phosphinates with good-to-excellent yields. Mechanistic studies and density functional theory calculations suggested an intramolecular process involving phosphorus migration, instead of phosphorus radical formation, at the early stage of the reaction.

We developed a visible-light driven oxo-acyloxylation of aryl alkenes with carboxylic acids and molecular oxygen. A metal-free photoredox system, consisting of an acridinium photocatalyst, an organic base, and molecular sieve (MS) 4 Å, promotes chemoselective aerobic photooxidation of aryl alkenes. This approach may provide a green, practical, and metal-free protocol for a wide range of α-acyloxy ketones.

A redox-neutral reaction without using any external oxidant and reductant in one pot is described. By combining a Ru(bpy)32+ photocatalyst and cobaloxime catalyst, a number of tertiary anilines can be oxidized by Ru(bpy)32+ to realize oxidative cyclization of tetrahydroquinolines, and the electron and proton eliminated from the substrate anilines are captured by a cobaloxime catalyst to achieve hydrogen transfer in situ to maleimides, in good to excellent yields, under redox-neutral conditions.