Ynamides were used as precursors for the in situ generation of highly reactive ketenimines that could be trapped with imines in a [2+2] cycloaddition. This imino‐Staudinger synthesis led to a variety of imino‐analogs of β‐lactams, namely azetidinimines (20 examples), that could be further functionalized through a broad range of transformations.

A general anti-Baldwin radical 4-exo-dig cyclization from nitrogen-substituted alkynes is reported. Upon reaction with a heteroleptic copper complex in the presence of an amine and under visible light irradiation, a range of ynamides were shown to smoothly cyclize to the corresponding azetidines, useful building blocks in natural product synthesis and medicinal chemistry, with full control of the regioselectivity of the cyclization resulting from a unique and underrated radical 4-exo-dig pathway.

A radical-mediated functionalization of allyl alcohol derived partners with a variety of alkyl 1,4-dihydropyridines via photoredox/nickel dual catalysis is described. This transformation transpires with high linear and E-selectivity, avoiding the requirement of harsh conditions (e.g., strong base, elevated temperature). Additionally, using aryl sulfinate salts as radical precursors, allyl sulfones can also be obtained. Kinetic isotope effect experiments implicated oxidative addition of the nickel catalyst to the allylic electrophile as the turnover-limiting step, supporting previous computational studies.

An operationally simple, open-air, and efficient light-mediated Minisci C–H alkylation method is described, based on the formation of an electron donor–acceptor (EDA) complex between nitrogen-containing heterocycles and redox-active esters.

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No abstract

A general and efficient procedure for the copper-catalyzed photoinduced radical domino cyclization of ynamides and cyanamides providing an efficient access to complex tri-, tetra- and pentacyclic nitrogen heterocycles is reported. Upon visible light irradiation in the presence of catalytic amounts of [(DPEphos)(bcp)Cu]PF6 and an amine, a range of unactivated aryl and alkyl iodides were shown to be smoothly transformed to the corresponding radical species, initiating the radical domino cyclization. This procedure provides a unified entry to rosettacin, luotonin A, and deoxyvasicinone that could be efficiently prepared in a limited number of steps.

Organic transformations can broadly be classified into four categories including cationic, anionic, pericyclic and radical reactions. While the last category has been known for decades to provide remarkably efficient synthetic pathways, it has long been hampered by the need for toxic reagents, which considerably limited its impact on chemical synthesis. This situation has come to an end with the introduction of new concepts for the generation of radical species, photoredox catalysis – which simply relies on the use of a catalyst that can be activated upon visible light irradiation – certainly being the most efficient one. The state-of-the-art catalysts mostly rely on the use of ruthenium and iridium complexes and organic dyes, which still considerably limits their broad implementation in chemical processes: alternative readily available catalysts based on inexpensive, environmentally benign base metals are therefore strongly needed. Furthermore, expanding the toolbox of methods based on photoredox catalysis will facilitate the discovery of new light-mediated transformations. This article details the use of a simple copper complex which, upon activation with blue light, can initiate a broad range of radical reactions.