The merger of photoredox and nickel catalysis has enabled the construction of quaternary centers. However, the mechanism, role of the ligand, and effect of the spin state for this transformation and related Ni-catalyzed cross-couplings involving tertiary alkyl radicals in combination with bipyridine and diketonate ligands remain unknown. Several mechanisms have been proposed, all invoking a key Ni­(III) species prior to undergoing irreversible inner-sphere reductive elimination. In this work, we have used open-shell dispersion-corrected DFT calculations, quasi-classical dynamics calculations, and experiments to study in detail the mechanism of carbon–carbon bond formation in Ni bipyridine- and diketonate-based catalytic systems. These calculations revealed that access to high spin states (e.g., triplet spin state tetrahedral Ni­(II) species) is critical for effective radical cross-coupling of tertiary alkyl radicals. Further, these calculations revealed a disparate mechanism for the C–C bond formation. Specifically, contrary to the neutral Ni-bipyridyl system, diketonate ligands lead directly to the corresponding tertiary radical cross-coupling products via an outer-sphere reductive elimination step via triplet spin state from the Ni­(III) intermediates. Implications to related Ni-catalyzed radical cross-couplings and the design of new transformations are discussed.

Alkenes, ethers, and alcohols account for a significant percentage of bulk reagents available to the chemistry community. The petrochemical, pharmaceutical, and agrochemical industries each consume gigagrams of these materials as fuels and solvents each year. However, the utilization of such materials as building blocks for the construction of complex small molecules is limited by the necessity of prefunctionalization to achieve chemoselective reactivity. Herein, we report the implementation of efficient, sustainable, diaryl ketone hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) catalysis to activate native C−H bonds for multicomponent dicarbofunctionalization of alkenes. The ability to forge new carbon−carbon bonds between reagents typically viewed as commodity solvents provides a new, more atom-economic outlook for organic synthesis. Through detailed experimental and computational investigation, the critical effect of hydrogen bonding on the reactivity of this transformation was uncovered.

A visible-light-promoted photoredox/nickel protocol for the enantioselective three-component carboarylation of alkenes with tertiary and secondary alkyltrifluoroborates and aryl bromides is described. This redox-neutral protocol allows for facile and divergent access to a wide array of enantioenriched β-alkyl-α-arylated carbonyls, phosphonates, and sulfones in high yields and excellent enantioselectivities from readily available starting materials. We also report a modular and enantioselective synthesis of flurbiprofen analogs and piragliatin lead compound to demonstrate synthetic utility. Experimental and computational mechanistic studies were performed to gain insights into the mechanism and origin of chemo- and enantioselectivity.

We report here a reaction that selectively deaminates primary amines and anilines under mild conditions and with remarkable functional group tolerance including a range of pharmaceutical compounds, amino acids, amino sugars, and natural products. An anomeric amide reagent is uniquely capable of facilitating the reaction through the intermediacy of an unprecedented monosubstituted isodiazene intermediate. In addition to dramatically simplifying deamination compared to existing protocols, our approach enables strategic applications of iminium and amine-directed chemistries as traceless methods. Mechanistic and computational studies support the intermedicacy of a primary isodiazene which exhibits an unexpected divergence from previously studied secondary isodiazenes, leading to cage-escaping, free radical species that engage in a chain, hydrogen-atom transfer process involving aliphatic and diazenyl radical intermediates.

Aerobic hypervalent iodine chemistry provides a strategy for coupling the oneelectron chemistry of O 2 with two-electron processes typical of organic synthesis. We show that in contrast to the canonical two-electron oxidation of aryl iodides, aerobic synthesis proceeds by a radical chain process initiated by the addition of aerobically generated acetoxy radicals to aryliodides to generate iodanyl radicals. Robustness analysis reveals that the developed aerobic oxidation chemistry displays substrate tolerance similar to that observed in peracid-based methods and thus holds promise as a sustainable synthetic method.

Design and implementation of the first (asymmetric) Fe-catalyzed intra- and intermolecular difunctionalization of vinyl cyclopropanes (VCPs) with alkyl halides and aryl Grignard reagents has been realized via a mechanistically driven approach.

Fluorine-containing organic molecules, particularly those that bear (sp3)­C–F bonds, are rapidly gaining prominence in modern chemical synthesis. Although extensive studies have been devoted to the preparation of secondary and tertiary fluorides, crucial shortcomings remain: for example, lengthy substrate synthesis, contrived installation of difficult-to-remove directing/activating units, excessive waste generation and/or limited functional group compatibility. Here, we show that readily accessible α-monofluoro carboxylic acids, which are conventionally difficult substrates for cross-coupling, undergo direct decarboxylative cross-coupling with sp2- and sp3-hybridized organohalides to afford a wide assortment of fluorinated products. Reactions are typically promoted by a combination of 1 mol % of an Ir-based photocatalyst and 2–15 mol % of a bipyridine–Ni complex, delivering products in up to 86% yield under blue LED light irradiation. Concise synthesis of key therapeutic candidates underscores utility, complementarity, and distinct advantages compared with existing methods. DFT calculations are used to rationalize the distinct reactivity of α-fluoro carboxylic acid substrates (vs nonfluorinated parent acids) under decarboxylation conditions.

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