Organic photocatalysts are emerging as viable and more sustainable tools than metal complexes. Recently, the field of organo‐photocatalysis has experienced an explosion in terms of applications, redesign of well‐established systems, and identification of novel scaffolds. A rational approach to the structural modification of the different photocatalysts is key to accessing unprecedented reactivity, while improving their catalytic performances. We herein discuss the concepts underpinning the scaffold modification of some of the most recently used photocatalysts and analyze how specific structural changes alter their physicochemical and redox properties.

The development of new asymmetric methodologies that afford different structures in an enantioselective fashion is one of the most exciting goals for chemists nowadays. In this subject, lately, the use of sulfones has become a fast growing field. From the works of Tan and Shibata until the last works of Palomo, sulfones have demonstrated their versatility and power in organocatalytic asymmetric reactions. Moreover, the easy removal of sulfones with Mg or Hg/Na makes this group a perfect choice to afford easily naked alkyls. Remarkably, bissulfones can be used as nucleophiles or electrophiles, being vinyl sulfones excellent electrophiles, while bismethylensulfones derivatives such as fluoro are excellent nucleophiles. This double possibility has been studied by several research groups, leading to new methodologies that allow obtaining formally simple alkylation in an enantioselective fashion, by using organocatalysis. The aim of this tutorial review is to summarize the last trends in the use of sulfones in organocatalytic processes, giving a complete scenario of these new reagents.

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The synthesis of spiro compounds via a Michael-Michael-aldol reaction is reported. The reaction affords spirooxindole derivatives in good yields and in almost diastereo- and enantiopure form. Moreover, the reaction works with several heterocycles such as oxindoles, benzofuranones, pyrazolones or azlactones rendering the final spiro compounds in good yields and excellent stereoselectivities.

Twelve naphthochromenone photocatalysts (PCs) were synthesized on gram scale. They absorb across the UV/Vis range and feature an extremely wide redox window (up to 3.22 eV) that is accessible using simple visible light irradiation sources (CFL or LED). Their excited‐state redox potentials, PC*/PC.− (up to 1.65 V) and PC.+/PC* (up to −1.77 V vs. SCE), are such that these novel PCs can engage in both oxidative and reductive quenching mechanisms with strong thermodynamic requirements. The potential of these bimodal PCs was benchmarked in synthetically relevant photocatalytic processes with extreme thermodynamic requirements. Their ability to efficiently catalyze mechanistically opposite oxidative/reductive photoreactions is a unique feature of these organic photocatalysts, thus representing a decisive advance towards generality, sustainability, and cost efficiency in photocatalysis.