The selective installation of phosphinoyl and carbamoyl moieties on the pyridine scaffold is an important transformation in synthetic and medicinal chemistry. By employing quinolinone as an efficient organic photocatalyst, we developed a catalytic system driven by visible light that forms phosphinoyl and carbamoyl radicals, which react with various heteroarenium derivatives under mild, transition-metal-free conditions. This straightforward and environmentally friendly synthetic method represents a new approach to site-divergent pyridine functionalization that offers considerable advantages in both simplicity and efficiency. Ambient temperature is sufficient for the formation of the reactive radicals, and the site-selectivity can be switched from C2 to C4 by changing the radical coupling sources. Under standard reaction conditions, phosphinoyl radicals give access to C4 products, while carbamoyl radicals selectively give C2 products. We found that the carbamoyl radical overcomes the intrinsic preference for forming the orthoproduct by allowing the oxo functionality of the carbamoyl radical to electrostatically engage the nitrogen of the pyridinium substrate, which preferentially gives the ortho-product. The phosphinoyl radical cannot engage in the same interaction, because the phosphorus is too large. This novel synthetic route tolerates a broad range of substrates and provides a convenient and powerful synthetic tool for accessing the core structures of numerous privileged scaffolds.

A novel and highly practical reaction for the copper-catalyzed intermolecular cyanotrifluoromethylation of alkenes is presented here. This methodology provides a general and straightforward way to synthesize a variety of useful CF3-containing nitriles, which can be used for further preparation of pharmaceutically and agrochemically important compounds in synthetic organic chemistry.

A palladium-catalyzed aryldifluoroalkylation of alkynes with ethyl difluoroiodoacetate and arylboronic acids as reaction partners is described. The alkyne difunctionalization process provides various aryldifluoroalkylated products in one pot under mild reaction conditions. A wide range of alkynes and diverse arylboronic acids are compatible with these reaction conditions. High reaction efficiency and broad substrate scope are the notable features of this transformation. Preliminary mechanistic investigations indicate that a difluoroalkyl radical addition pathway is involved in this transformation.

A copper-catalyzed difunctionalizing trifluoromethylation of activated alkynes with the cheap reagent sodium trifluoromethanesulfinate (NaSO2CF3 or Langlois' reagent) has been developed incorporating a tandem cyclization/dearomatization process. This strategy affords a straightforward route to synthesis of 3-(trifluoromethyl)-spiro[4.5]trienones, and presents an example of difunctionalization of alkynes for simultaneous formation of two carbon-carbon single bonds and one carbon-oxygen double bond.

A novel three-component strategy for the cyanotrifluoromethylation/azidotrifluoromethylation and carbocyclization of 1,6-enynes is developed. The reaction proceeds smoothly under a moderate temperature by using a copper catalyst, which provides a rapid and concise access to addition-carbocyclization products. Furthermore, the products obtained can be useful building blocks in discoveries of lead compounds and other biologically active CF3-containing heterocycles.

A novel and convenient Pd-catalyzed radical cascade iododifluoromethylation/cyclization of 1,6-enynes with ethyl difluoroiodoacetate is demonstrated. The proposed transformation presents high stereoselectivity under mild and facile reaction conditions, thereby allowing an efficient access to a variety of iodine-containing difluoromethylated pyrrolidines. A possible radical pathway for the transformation is proposed on the basis of the results of control experiments and relevant literature reviews.

A AgSCF3-mediated radical cascade cyclization/trifluoromethylthiolation of 1,6-enynes triggered by a C-C triple bond is developed. This protocol also provides another opportunity to construct a valuable trifluoromethylthio-substituted polycyclic fluorene system through the formations of one C-SCF3 bond and two C-C bonds in a single step.

A mild and efficient copper-catalyzed trifluoromethylation reaction which involves the cyclization of oximes has been developed. This method provides a convenient access to a variety of useful CF3-containing 4,5-dihydroisoxazoles by constructing a C-CF3 bond and a C-O bond in one step.