The utility and scope of Cu-catalyzed
halogen atom transfer chemistry
have been exploited in the fields of atom transfer radical polymerization
and atom transfer radical addition, where the metal plays a key role
in radical formation and minimizing unwanted side reactions. We have
shown that electrochemistry can be employed to modulate the reactivity
of the Cu catalyst between its active (CuI) and dormant
(CuII) states in a variety of ligand systems. In this work,
a macrocyclic pyridinophane ligand (L1) was utilized, which can break
the C–Br bond of BrCH2CN to release •CH2CN radicals when in complex with CuI. Moreover,
the [CuI(L1)]+ complex can capture the •CH2CN radical to form a new species [CuII(L1)(CH2CN)]+
in situ that, on reduction, exhibits halogen atom transfer reactivity 3
orders of magnitude greater than its parent complex [CuI(L1)]+. This unprecedented rate acceleration has been
identified by electrochemistry, successfully reproduced by simulation,
and exploited in a Cu-catalyzed bulk electrosynthesis where [CuII(L1)(CH2CN)]+ participates as a radical
donor in the atom transfer radical addition of BrCH2CN
to a selection of styrenes. The formation of these turbocharged catalysts in situ during electrosynthesis offers a new approach to
the Cu-catalyzed organic reaction methodology.